RBMOnline - Vol. 19 Suppl. 1. 2009 19-26 Reproductive BioMedicine Online; www.rbmonline.com/Article/4173 on web 20 May 2009 19 Ethics, Bioscience and Life, Vol. 4, No. 2, July 2009 © 2009 Published by Reproductive Healthcare Ltd, Duck End Farm, Dry Drayton, Cambridge CB23 8DB, UK Satvinder Purewal, BSc MSc PhD, is currently working as a Research Assistant at Middlesex University. Her PhD thesis explored the psychological determinants of [genetic] parenthood and attitudes towards donation of genetic material and was produced under the supervision of Professor Olga van den Akker. Her research interests centre on health psychology, infertility and gamete donation, the importance of a genetic link, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Satvinder is a member of the British Psychological Society. Dr Satvinder Purewal S Purewal 1,4 , OBA van den Akker 2,3 1 Department of Psychology, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, London, NW4 4BT; 2 Head of Department Psychology, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, London, NW4 4BT; 3 Centre for Human Reproductive Sciences, Birmingham Women’s Health Care Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TG 4 Correspondence: e-mail: S.Purewal@mdx.ac.uk Abstract There is an acute shortage of donated oocytes in the UK and clinics are largely relying on shared donation. Shared donation of oocytes is not without its ethical and moral concerns. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate non-patient population attitudes towards oocyte donation and examine the link between oocyte donation intentions and reasons for parenthood using structural equation modelling (SEM). The survey population consisted of 349 women aged 27.8 ± 4.7 years. Results revealed that approximately one-third of women would consider donating their oocytes as identifiable donors. SEM analyses indicated a significant direct effect of positive attitudes towards oocyte donation, high levels of social support and endorsement of less conventional reasons for parenthood to intentions to donate. Age, education and attitudes towards the importance of a genetic link between parent and child indirectly influenced intentions to donate oocytes. Intenders’ less conventional perceptions of parenthood coincided with their positive beliefs about the importance of parenthood and children. Thus, results indicated that attitudes towards parenthood are an important factor underpinning the motivation for potential oocyte donation. Keywords: infertility, oocyte donation, theory of planned behaviour, third party conception There is an acute shortage of donated oocytes in the UK [Ahuja and Simons, 1996; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), 1998, 2006; Murray and Golombok; 2000] and globally (Blyth and Frith, 2008). Some clinicians and researchers are also concerned that the removal of donor anonymity in a number of European countries (such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, and the UK) may inadvertently result in further reductions in the number of oocyte donors (Craft et al., 2005; Pennings, 2005). The scarcity of donors is a major concern and in countries, such as the UK, oocyte share models have been set up in clinics whereby infertile patients donate their oocytes in return for subsidized fertility treatment in order to meet the increasing demands for oocytes (Ahuja and Simons, 1996; Ahuja et al., 1998, 1999) and this is far from ideal. Therefore, the psychological factors underlying a woman’s intention to donate under current legislation needs to be investigated and understood. To address the general shortage of volunteer oocyte donors, a few studies have examined various factors that may influence women from the general population’s decisions to donate. Overall, these studies have found that, although attitudes towards oocyte donation are positive (Lessor et al., 1990; Bolton et al., 1991; Kazem et al., 1995; Lyall et al., 1995; Westlander et al., 1998; Kailasam et al., 2001; Urdapilleta et al., 2001; Chliaoutakis, 2002; Chliaoutakis et al., 2002; Svanberg et al., 2003; Isikoglu et al., 2006; Khalili et al., 2006; Purewal and van den Akker, 2006; Brett et al., 2008), intentions to donate oocytes remain low. Some of the factors that do appear to influence non-patient women’s intentions to donate Article Attitudes and intentions towards volunteer oocyte donation Introduction