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Stein A, Altman E, Rotlevi M, Seh D, Wertheimer A, Ben-Haroush A, Shufaro Y. Single men's attitudes towards posthumous use of their sperm cryopreserved due to illness in Israel. Andrology 2024; 12:380-384. [PMID: 37345862 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Banking of frozen spermatozoa by single men opens the possibility of procreation long after their death. Requests for posthumous reproduction by the families of the deceased are growing, raising an ethical debate, especially when written instructions were not left by the patients and in cases of unplanned perimortem collection. The issue of the progenitors' intention to procreate after death is the key to ethically based decision-making in these cases. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the attitude of single men cryopreserving spermatozoa before life-threatening medical situations towards post-mortem usage of their cryopreserved spermatozoa. MATERIALS & METHODS Adult single men prior to sperm cryopreservation before cytotoxic therapy were asked to sign a structured form declaring their will and instructions for the usage of their cryopreserved spermatozoa in case of their demise. RESULTS Four hundred fifty-two men of diverse ethnicity, religious and cultural backgrounds signed the form providing instructions for the use of their cryopreserved spermatozoa in case of mortality. Their age was 27.4 ± 8.06 years. Seven (1.5%) patients willed their spermatozoa for posthumous reproduction to a sibling, 22 (4.9%) to parents, and 26 (5.7%) to their informal female partners. The significant majority (n = 397; 87.8 %) of the single men were ordered to destroy their cryopreserved spermatozoa in case of their expiry. Note that, 26-39 years old men were less likely (81.8% vs. >90% in other ages) to order sperm destruction, as well as men with a poorer prognosis (83% vs. 90%). DISCUSSION In this study group, most single men cryopreserving spermatozoa in the face of future life-threatening morbidity do so for their own future live parenthood, and are not interested in posthumous reproduction. CONCLUSION Our results doubt the claim that single men who had an unplanned perimortem sperm collection can be universally presumed to have wished to father a child posthumously. Any claimed assumed consent in these cases should be considered for each case individually based on its specific circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anat Stein
- Andrology and Sperm Bank, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Altman
- Andrology and Sperm Bank, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach-Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Mali Rotlevi
- Andrology and Sperm Bank, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Donia Seh
- Andrology and Sperm Bank, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Avital Wertheimer
- Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach-Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Avi Ben-Haroush
- Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach-Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoel Shufaro
- Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach-Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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