Abstract
The objective of this study was to gain information from egg donors in South Africa (SA) which could be pertinent to policy development on egg donation. The study was conducted on egg donors in the database of a Cape Town-based egg donation agency who donated within a year preceding the study. 150 egg donors from the population of 226 participated in an online survey. The main results are: 95% of respondents experienced egg donation as being positive. However, 7% of respondents report not giving proper informed consent, and a similar percentage of respondents also report not knowing whether any medical risks actually materialised as sequelae to their donations. This is a cause for concern and should be investigated further. Regarding donor anonymity, which is currently the legal position in SA, 79% of respondents indicated that they would still have donated had they been legally required to release their identities. Accordingly, possible legal reform away from the current system of donor anonymity seems unlikely to significantly impact the supply of donated eggs. Regarding motivation, respondents report being primarily motivated by wanting to help infertile women. However, respondents believe that a fair and realistic amount of compensation would be about 60% higher than what is currently paid as the national standard fixed amount. This fixed-amount compensation system should be further investigated in terms of its legality, impact on donor profile, and its current amount.
Highlights
While there has been much research on egg donors’ motivations, experiences, and opinions in other areas of the world–especially in the United States and the United Kingdom [1,2]–no such research has far been conducted in South Africa (SA)
The present study aims to fill this lacuna by presenting the results of a quantitative survey of SA egg donors
To test if one response option was selected significantly more often than the others, a binomial test was applied to questions with two possible responses; while a chi-square goodness-of-fit test was used when a question had more than two response options
Summary
While there has been much research on egg donors’ motivations, experiences, and opinions in other areas of the world–especially in the United States and the United Kingdom [1,2]–no such research has far been conducted in South Africa (SA). The present study aims to fill this lacuna by presenting the results of a quantitative survey of SA egg donors (the ‘SA survey’). Assisted reproduction–and egg donation in particular–are highly regulated in SA. The central regulatory instruments are the National Health Act [3], and the Regulations Relating to Artificial Fertilisation of Persons [4] made by the Minister of Health in terms of the Act. Read together, the Act and the Regulations outlaw trade in human gametes, and provide that gamete.
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