Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Pediatrics
Published in: BMC Pediatrics 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research article

Attitudes towards embryo donation among healthcare professionals working in child healthcare: a survey study

Authors: Gabriela Armuand, Gunilla Sydsjö, Agneta Skoog Svanberg, Claudia Lampic

Published in: BMC Pediatrics | Issue 1/2019

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes towards embryo donation and embryo donation families among professionals working in primary child healthcare, and their experiences of these families.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Sweden between April and November 2016. A total of 712 primary healthcare physicians, registered nurses and psychologists were approached to participate in this study. The study-specific questionnaire measured attitudes and experiences in the following four domains: legalisation and financing, the family and the child’s health, clinical experience of meeting families following embryo donation, and knowledge of embryo donation.

Results

Of the 189 women and 18 men who completed the questionnaire (response rate 29%), relatively few (13%) had clinical experience of caring for families following embryo donation. Overall, 69% supported legalisation of embryo donation for infertile couples, and 54% agreed it should be publicly funded. The majority (88%) agreed the child should have the right to know the donors’ identity. Respondents did not believe that children conceived through embryo donation are as healthy as other children (50%), citing the risks of poor mental health (17%) and social stigmatization (18%). Approximately half reported low confidence in their own knowledge of embryo donation (47%) and wanted to know more (58%).

Conclusions

These results indicate relatively large support among healthcare professionals in Sweden for the legalisation of embryo donation. In order to provide adequate healthcare to families following embryo donation, there is a need to develop educational resources to increase knowledge about the medical and psychosocial consequences of embryo donation among healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare.
Literature
1.
Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Defining embryo donation: an ethics committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2016;106(1):56–8.CrossRef
2.
Gianaroli L, Ferraretti AP, Magli MC, Sgargi S. Current regulatory arrangements for assisted conception treatment in European countries. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2016;207:211–3.CrossRef
3.
Wånggren K, Prag F, Skoog Svanberg A. Attitudes towards embryo donation in Swedish women and men of reproductive age. Ups J Med Sci. 2013;118(3):187–95.CrossRef
4.
Wånggren K, Baban M, Svanberg AS. Attitudes toward embryo donation among staff at in vitro fertilization clinics. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2014;93(8):765–70.CrossRef
5.
Wånggren K, Alden J, Bergh T, Skoog Svanberg A. Attitudes towards embryo donation among infertile couples with frozen embryos. Hum Reprod. 2013;28(9):2432–9.CrossRef
6.
MacCallum F, Keeley S. Embryo donation families: a follow-up in middle childhood. Journal of family psychology. JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association. 2008;22(6):799–808.
7.
MacCallum F, Golombok S, Brinsden P. Parenting and child development in families with a child conceived through embryo donation. Journal of family psychology. JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association. 2007;21(2):278–87.
8.
Goedeke S, Daniels K, Thorpe M, Du Preez E. Building extended families through embryo donation: the experiences of donors and recipients. Hum Reprod. 2015.
9.
Goedeke S, Daniels K, Thorpe M. Embryo donation and counselling for the welfare of donors, recipients, their families and children. Hum Reprod. 2016;31(2):412–8.PubMed
10.
de la Fuente Fonnest I, Sondergaard F, Fonnest G, Vedsted-Jacobsen A. Attitudes among health care professionals on the ethics of assisted reproductive technologies and legal abortion. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2000;79(1):49–53.CrossRef
11.
Svanberg AS, Sydsjo G, Selling KE, Lampic C. Attitudes towards gamete donation among Swedish gynaecologists and obstetricians. Hum Reprod. 2008;23(4):904–11.CrossRef
12.
Armuand G, Lampic C, Skoog-Svanberg A, Wanggren K, Sydsjo G. Survey shows that Swedish healthcare professionals have a positive attitude towards surrogacy but the health of the child is a concern. Acta Paediatr. 2018;107(1):101–9.CrossRef
13.
Sydsjo G, Lampic C, Sunnerud S, Svanberg AS. Nurses promote openness regarding the genetic origins after gamete donation. Acta Paediatr. 2007;96(10):1500–4.CrossRef
14.
15.
Salaheddin K, Mason B. Identifying barriers to mental health help-seeking among young adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. Br J Gen Pract. 2016;66(651):e686–92.CrossRef
16.
Roberts TK, Fantz CR. Barriers to quality health care for the transgender population. Clin Biochem. 2014;47(10–11):983–7.CrossRef
17.
The National Board of Health and Welfare. Guidance for primary child health care. Stockholm, Sweden2014.
18.
Svanberg AS, Sydsjö G, Selling KE, Lampic C. Attitudes towards gamete donation among Swedish gynaecologists and obstetricians. Hum Reprod. 2008;23(4):904–11.CrossRef
19.
Kavot Z. Health care professionals' freedom of religion and conscience - A legal study about conscientious refusal and the requirement to provide good care. Uppsala: Uppsala university; 2016.
20.
Readings J, Blake L, Casey P, Jadva V, Golombok S. Secrecy, disclosure and everything in-between: decisions of parents of children conceived by donor insemination, egg donation and surrogacy. Reprod BioMed Online. 2011;22(5):485–95.CrossRef
21.
Burnard P, Gill P, Stewart K, Treasure E, Chadwick B. Analysing and presenting qualitative data. Br Dent J. 2008;204(8):429–32.CrossRef
22.
Machin L. A hierarchy of needs? Embryo donation, in vitro fertilisation and the provision of infertility counselling. Patient Educ Couns. 2011;85(2):264–8.CrossRef
23.
Goedeke S, Payne D. A qualitative study of New Zealand fertility counsellors' roles and practices regarding embryo donation. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(11):2821–8.CrossRef
24.
Paul MS, Berger R, Blyth E, Frith L. Relinquishing frozen embryos for conception by infertile couples. Families, systems & health : the journal of collaborative family healthcare. 2010;28(3):258–73.CrossRef
25.
de Lacey S. Decision making about frozen supernumerary human embryos. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2013;16(1):31–4.CrossRef
26.
Goedeke S, Daniels K, Thorpe M, du Preez E. The fate of unused embryos: discourses, action possibilities, and subject positions. Qual Health Res. 2017;27(10):1529–40.CrossRef
27.
Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Informing offspring of their conception by gamete or embryo donation: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2013;100(1):45–9.CrossRef
28.
Tallandini MA, Zanchettin L, Gronchi G, Morsan V. Parental disclosure of assisted reproductive technology (ART) conception to their children: a systematic and meta-analytic review. Hum Reprod. 2016;31(6):1275–87.CrossRef
29.
Isaksson S, Sydsjo G, Skoog Svanberg A, Lampic C. Disclosure behaviour and intentions among 111 couples following treatment with oocytes or sperm from identity-release donors: follow-up at offspring age 1-4 years. Hum Reprod. 2012;27(10):2998–3007.CrossRef
30.
Blyth E, Crawshaw M, Frith L, Jones C. Donor-conceived people's views and experiences of their genetic origins: a critical analysis of the research evidence. Journal of law and medicine. 2012;19(4):769–89.PubMed
31.
Söderstrom-Anttila V, Foudila T, Ripatti UR, Siegberg R. Embryo donation: outcome and attitudes among embryo donors and recipients. Hum Reprod. 2001;16(6):1120–8.CrossRef
32.
Collard C, Kashmeri S. Embryo adoption: emergent forms of siblingship among snowflakes (R) families. Am Ethnol. 2011;38(2):307–22.CrossRef
33.
Frith L, Blyth E, Lui S. Family building using embryo adoption: relationships and contact arrangements between provider and recipient families-a mixed-methods study. Hum Reprod. 2017;32(5):1092–9.CrossRef
34.
Grotevant HD, McDermott JM. Adoption: biological and social processes linked to adaptation. Annu Rev Psychol. 2014;65:235–65.CrossRef
35.
Imrie S, Golombok S. Long-term outcomes of children conceived through egg donation and their parents: a review of the literature. Fertil Steril. 2018;110(7):1187–93.CrossRef
36.
Armuand G, Lampic C, Skoog-Svanberg A, Wånggren K, Sydsjo G. Positive attitudes towards surrogacy among Swedish healthcare professionals – but the health of the child is a concern. Unpublished manuscript; 2017.
37.
Terenziani M, Spinelli M, Jankovic M, Bardi E, Hjorth L, Haupt R, et al. Practices of pediatric oncology and hematology providers regarding fertility issues: a European survey. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2014;61(11):2054–8.CrossRef
38.
Köhler TS, Kondapalli LA, Shah A, Chan S, Woodruff TK, Brannigan RE. Results from the survey for preservation of adolescent reproduction (SPARE) study: gender disparity in delivery of fertility preservation message to adolescents with cancer. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2011;28(3):269–77.CrossRef
39.
Boivin J, Bunting L, Koert E, Ieng UC, Verhaak C. Perceived challenges of working in a fertility clinic: a qualitative analysis of work stressors and difficulties working with patients. Hum Reprod. 2017;32(2):403–8.CrossRef
40.
Fuchs A, Kashanian JA, Clayman ML, Gosiengfiao Y, Lockart B, Woodruff TK, et al. Pediatric oncology Providers' attitudes and practice patterns regarding fertility preservation in adolescent male Cancer patients. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2016;38(2):118–22.CrossRef
41.
SFS. Lag om etikprövning av forskning som avser människor [in Swedish]. Stockholm: Utbildningsdepartementet; 2003. p. 460.
Metadata
Title
Attitudes towards embryo donation among healthcare professionals working in child healthcare: a survey study
Authors
Gabriela Armuand
Gunilla Sydsjö
Agneta Skoog Svanberg
Claudia Lampic
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pediatrics / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2431
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-019-1578-4

Other articles of this Issue 1/2019

BMC Pediatrics 1/2019 Go to the issue

Research article

Asthma medication in children who are overweight/obese: justified treatment?

Research article

Gross motor developmental dysfunctional outcomes in infantile and toddler pediatric intensive care unit survivors

Case report

Down boy! A case of acute abdomen following a dog bite to the scrotum

Research article

Short-term outcomes of extremely preterm infants at discharge: a multicenter study from Guangdong province during 2008–2017

Case report

GTP-Cyclohydrolase I deficiency presenting as malignant hyperphenylalaninemia, recurrent hyperthermia and progressive neurological dysfunction in a South Asian child – a case report

Research article

Evaluation of the safety, tolerance and efficacy of 1-year consumption of infant formula supplemented with Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Lc40 or Bifidobacterium breve CECT7263: a randomized controlled trial