Sperm donation and surrogacy from a male perspective

Introduction Societal changes in the last decades led to the arise of new paradigms on gender equity. Studies addressing fertility/infertility issues have been conducted mainly in women and in this research area, male partners have deserved less attention. More recently there has been a major focus on the idea that fertility/infertility aspects have to be conceptualized from a couples’ perspective. Goals The current study sought to explore attitudes towards gamete donation and surrogacy in a sample of young men in reproductive age. Methods A total of 111 males with ages ranging from 18 to 40 years old and without children completed an online questionnaire addressing attitudes towards gamete donation and surrogacy. Results The majority of participants (77.3%) would be willing to donate their sperm, and their main motivation for doing that would be to feel “happy to help a couple struggling to have a child”. Participants stated that the likelihood of donating would increase if they were able to attend counseling, to complete the procedure in an IVF center located in their residence area, and being provided with more information about infertility. Regarding surrogacy 82% are in favor of this procedure legalization and 49.5% would be willing to use it if they needed. Conclusion Men showed a positive attitude towards sperm donation and surrogacy, emphasizing the importance of counseling and information availability on these topics. This may suggest that they are willing to get involved when fertility issues are addressed.