A survey of community opinion and perceptions toward gamete donation in north central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Gamete donation supports in vitro fertilization services. Donation of gametes began in the developed world in 1884, but there is no documentation of when it started in Nigeria. The donors may be sourced from the community where such services are available. The objectives of this study are to determine the opinion of a community in north-central Nigeria toward gamete donation and determine the factors that influence their opinion. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey of 300 individuals in a community regarding their opinions and perceptions about gamete donation in the setting. The survey involved using a questionnaire with the questions structured in a Likert format. Results: Two hundred and four (68%) of the respondents had knowledge of gamete donation, and 96 (32%) had none. Fifty-five (18%) respondents did not support gamete donation, whereas 153 (51%) did. Fifty-five (18%) disagreed and 158 (52.7%) agreed that gamete donation is justified. Forty-one (14%) disagreed, while 201 (67%) agreed that financial gain is the reason for gamete donation. One hundred disagreed (33.3%) and 113 (37.7%), respectively, agreed that religious beliefs prevent people from donating or receiving gametes. Forty-seven (16%) agreed, and 180 (60%) disagreed that donation can lead to childlessness in the future. Ninety-three (31%) agreed while, 130 (43.3%) disagreed with the possibility of their acceptance of gamete donation if needed. Eighty (2.6%) will not while 149 (49.6%) will support a friend/acquaintance who wants to donate their gamete. Significantly, more males agreed that religion forbids donating or receiving gametes (P = 0.047). Conclusion: There is a high awareness and favorable predisposition toward gamete donation but a low willingness to donate or accept same. More advocacy and enlightenment are needed to increase the participation of this community in gamete donation.