Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Gamete Donation; Knowledge, Attitude and Willingness to Participate Among Students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Abstract

Background: Infertility is a worldwide problem affecting about 10-15% of married couples and has social, economic and psychological  implications1. A significant number of couples will require assisted reproduction following failure of common treatment options. Undergraduates form a rich source of potential gamete donors and it is imperative to assess their knowledge, attitude and willingness to participate in the expanding gamete donor programs in a developing country like Nigeria.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of participants about assisted reproduction and to further evaluate their   willingness to donate gametes for assisted conception or act as surrogates.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 1150 participants  consisting of 511 male students and 639 female students of the University of Ibadan. Participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. A semistructured, self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and willingness to participate in gamete donor programs. Participation was voluntary and data obtained was treated with utmost confidentiality. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS, New York) version 22. Descriptive statistics were generated, and the results summarized with the aid of a bar chart and
frequency tables.

Results: Eight seven percent of the respondents had good knowledge of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) and the most common source of
awareness was the media (63.3%). More respondents were aware of sperm donation (75.5%) compared to egg donation (61.9%). Ninety percent
of the participants were correctly able to identify the places where ART could be practiced in Nigeria. Most of the respondents (81.5%) supported ART services and the most common reason for not supporting was due to ethical considerations (45.1%). Only about 54.9% were willing to  participate in gamete donor programs. Nine (0.8%) female respondents had previously participated in egg (oocyte) donation while none of the male
respondents had ever donated sperm. About threequarters of the respondents demonstrated good knowledge about the practice of surrogacy.

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Willingness, Gamete Donation, Undergraduates