Psychiatric Symptoms Associated with Oocyte-Donation

Psychosocial consequences of oocyte donation in donors: A systematic review

Assisted Reproductive Technology by means of oocyte donation is a very successful method leading to psychosocial consequences in donors. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on the psychosocial consequences of oocyte donation in the donors. The present study was conducted as a systematic review based on the PRISMA checklist. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SID databases for the documents written between 2000 and 2020 regardless of the research methodology and the employed tools. English and Persian articles focusing on psychological and social issues of oocyte donation were reviewed. From 2,759 studies which were found, finally 14 related ones were selected. Psychosocial challenges of donors were obtained in three dimensions including short-term and long-term psychological reactions to treatment complications, emotional reactions to their function as an oocyte donor, and emotional reactions to the resulting offspring resulting and related social challenges. According to the existing studies, oocyte donation is a challenging process with short-term and long-term psychosocial consequences for donors. In order to prevent the feasible psychosocial hazards caused by the donation process, it is necessary to provide oocyte donors with psychosocial support, proper counseling, and awareness of the facts and possible issues ahead.

Self-image and social-image of the donors: Two different views from oocyte donors' eyes

To identify the perceptions of women oocyte donors this qualitative study was conducted on 30 oocyte donors using in-depth interview. The three main categories of decision-making challenge, the consequences of participation in assisted reproductive treatment, and the contrast between the self-image and social-image of the donor were inferred. Financial and altruistic motivation, social taboo, and the approval of trusted people were the sub-categories of the decision-making challenge. The results of the study showed that the decision for oocyte donation follows the effort of women to balance the financial and spiritual benefits of the donation against its cultural barriers.

Oocyte donor's emotions towards the potential offspring: Development and psychometric properties

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to develop a questionnaire for assessing the emotional feelings of the women donors towards the potential offspring resulting from assisted reproductive techniques.

STUDY DESIGN

Construct validity was evaluated in a cross-sectional study of 150 Iranian oocyte-donating women who undergoing donor egg programs in Isfahan- Iran. The self-report questionnaire was completed within one to ten days after the oocyte donation. Reliability was determined using internal consistency and stability.

RESULTS

The results of the factor analysis were extracted with 3 factors with a predictive power of 89.57 % in 12 items. The internal reliability of the questionnaire was calculated based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.792. The stability of the questionnaire was confirmed based on intra class correlation index (0.71).

CONCLUSION

The 12-item questionnaire is a valid tool for assessing the emotions of oocyte donors shortly after doing donor egg programs.

A mental health intervention program for the oocyte donors: protocol for a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

Oocyte donation is one of the assisted reproductive techniques that can undermine the mental health of the women donor. As such, the aim of this study is to design a mental health promotion program for oocyte donors.

METHODS

This is an exploratory mixed methods study (qualitative-quantitative) that consists of three phases. In the first phase, a qualitative study will be conducted to identify the needs and strategies of the mental health promotion program for the women donors. In this phase, the participants will be selected using purposeful sampling method and the data will be collected through semi-structured interviews. In the second phase, the initial draft of the program is designed and validated in the panel of experts and using the classic Delphi technique and, then, the program is finalized. In the third phase, the designed program will be implemented as a quasi-experimental study in two groups of program recipients (intervention) and control, and the effectiveness of the intervention program will be evaluated.

DISCUSSION

In order to design a documentation-based mental health promotion program for the oocyte donors, their experience during the process of oocyte donation should be evaluated. Doing so, the program will be developed based on the specific circumstances of the target population and their social and cultural context and, hence, will have the highest impact.