[Donor-matching in Third-Party Reproduction: what do single women undergoing ART with sperm donation think about it?]

Abstract

Objectives: to better understand the perception that single women undergoing ART with sperm donation have of the donor matching practices implemented today in CECOS.

Methods: A qualitative survey was carried out among 20 unmarried patients undergoing ART with sperm donation in two ART centers linked to 5 CECOS. The interviews were carried out using a semi-directive grid composed of seventeen questions. A reflective thematic analysis was carried out a posteriori in order to identify the themes emerging from the interviews.

Results: The majority of respondents wanted a match based on their physical characteristics, most of them attaching importance to the resemblance with their future child, mainly on skin color. All of the women interviewed seemed very clear about the absence of a role for the donor within their family structure. Finally, the majority of patients agreed with the fact that it is the biologist who chooses the donor.

Conclusions: This study provided new data concerning the problem of matching within single parenthood pathways. The matching is mostly desired by women based on their physical characteristics, the responsibility of the medical team in the choice of donor is mostly accepted, which is linked to the confidence that the women interviewed show towards the French health system.