Personality characteristics in a Swedish national sample of identifiable oocyte donors

Objective To study the personality characteristics of identifiable oocyte donors in a national sample in comparison with normal values. Design Descriptive study. Setting All Swedish donation programmes. Sample In total, 181 women out of 221 donors recruited during 2005-2008. Methods Standardised questionnaires were used to measure personality characteristics. Main outcome measure Demographics, temperament and character inventory (TCI). Results The majority (69%) of the donors had biological children of their own. The results from the TCI indicate that the oocyte donors were all within the normal range of character. With regard to personality, a significant difference was evident between the two groups: oocyte donors showed lower means for harm avoidance and higher scores for persistence than the controls. This indicates that the donors felt less worried, and displayed a lower level of fear of uncertainty, shyness and fatiguability, and a higher level of persistence, than the controls. In the present sample, 29 (16%) of the donors were so-called known donors, that is the recipient couples and the donors were known to each other. Known donors displayed a mature and stable character. Conclusion We found that the women who had been accepted for inclusion in this nationwide oocyte donor programme were all well adjusted and mature.This is the authors’ version of the following article:Gunilla Sydsjö, C. Lampic, S. Brandstrom, J. Gudmundsson, P.O. Karlstrom, N.G. Solensten, A. Thurin-Kjellberg and A.S. Svanberg, Personality characteristics in a Swedish national sample of identifiable oocyte donors, 2011, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, (118), 9, 1067-1072.which has been published in final form at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.02953.xCopyright: Wiley-Blackwellhttp://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Brand/id-35.htm