Oocyte and sperm donation: A predictive study of financially compensated candidates’ characteristics and their change over time

Introduction

Recruitment and selection of gamete donors has become during the years a challenge for doctors and psychologists due to the importance of selecting the best candidate. But, is there a donor female and male profile? The objective of this study is to investigate the socio-demographic and motivational characteristics of female and male gamete donor candidates at a fertility clinic in order to find a prediction profile for donors and to detect how their characteristics change over time.

Material and methods

A transversal predictive design and a comparative design were used, and 1338 women and 137 men donor candidates at the Alicante IVI Center in Spain in the 2007–2013 period participated in the study. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews.

Results

Being younger, in active employment and having a partner increases the likelihood of women becoming donors. Similarly, if women candidates have completed secondary or university education, do not smoke and have a partner, it is more likely they will be determined as suitable candidates in the psychological assessment. However, there does not appear to be a defined profile for men. The profile for a financially compensated donor candidate has shown significant changes over time; changing from being in active employment to being unemployed, but the motivations have remained the same.

Discussion

These findings can be a valuable tool which can lead to improvements in the selection process for financially compensated gamete donor candidates.