Psychological and ethical issues in third party assisted conception and surrogate motherhood

The continuing increase in babies born via third party assisted conception (AC) and surrogate motherhood across the world shows the success of and medical and social demand for third party interventions in family building. However, with the increasing use of such interventions world-wide, commercialisation and commodification have proliferated. This in turn has led to inequality in access to AC services, in choice of third party input, and in questionable human rights and psychosocial welfare issues. Transitioning to parenthood using third party AC and surrogate motherhood, in addition to requiring equality in access, also demand accuracy of birth and genetic information. In the absence of accurate record keeping, continuing practices of anonymity, and marginalization of the contribution of donors and surrogates, psychological, social, health and ethical questions are raised for donors, recipients and potentially for (genetic, gestational) part, half and full offspring, siblings and others in the extended family such as grandparents

Searching for ‘relations’ using a DNA linking register by adults conceived following sperm donation

This paper considers how sperm donor-conceived adults registered with a voluntary DNA linking register, UK DonorLink, constructed identity and relatedness by examining two areas: how their identity was affected by becoming aware that they were donor-conceived; and the process of searching for their donor and donor-conceived siblings. The views and experiences of donor-conceived adults has, until recently, been a neglected area. This study is the first to consider the experiences of those searching through a DNA-based register, and contributes to the growing literature on searching. This paper presents qualitative data from a questionnaire-based study with 65 adults conceived following sperm donation. It examines emerging linkages by investigating how ideas of relatedness, kinship and identity were enacted and how narrative certainties were moved and removed by opening up new conceptions of what it means to be ‘related’. Their knowledge of being donor-conceived was both a powerful disrupter and a consolidator of family relationships. No single story of being donor-conceived emerged – with competing narratives about the effects and implications for respondents’ kinship relationships and sense of identity. This study sheds light on how kinship relationships are negotiated and managed in adulthood by those conceived following sperm donation and how this can change over the life-course

Attitudes and intentions towards volunteer oocyte donation

There is an acute shortage of donated oocytes in the UK and clinics are largely relying on shared donation. Shared donation of oocytes is not without its ethical and moral concerns. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate non-patient population attitudes towards oocyte donation and examine the link between oocyte donation intentions and reasons for parenthood using structural equation modelling (SEM). The survey population consisted of 349 women aged 27.8 4.7 years. Results revealed that approximately one-third of women would consider donating their oocytes as identifiable donors. SEM analyses indicated a significant direct effect of positive attitudes towards oocyte donation, high levels of social support and endorsement of less conventional reasons for parenthood to intentions to donate. Age, education and attitudes towards the importance of a genetic link between parent and child indirectly influenced intentions to donate oocytes. Intenders’ less conventional perceptions of parenthood coincided with their positive beliefs about the importance of parenthood and children. Thus, results indicated that attitudes towards parenthood are an important factor underpinning the motivation for potential oocyte donation

Sexuality, sexual and reproductive health: an exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the Greek-Cypriot adolescents

This study examines the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Greek-Cypriot adolescents regarding sexuality, sexual and reproductive health in Cyprus. This is the first study in Cyprus that focuses on these issues. During the study, a survey was administered to a random sample of third grade students (N = 697, Mean age = 14 ± 1 years, 48% males). Descriptive and comparative statistics were primarily used for the data analysis. The results indicated that young Greek-Cypriots have limited knowledge on sexual health issues and that there are gender differences regarding role expectations of sexuality. Thus, in the promotion of healthy sexuality and sexual behaviours among youth, practitioners should include gender and cultural perspectives. Qualitative research is needed to explore in depth how young Greek-Cypriots feel about sexuality and sexual and reproductive health

Qualidade de vida em mulheres com incontinência urinária

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship among psychological, clinical and sociodemographic variables, and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence. The sample consisted of 80 women diagnosed with urinary incontinence (UI) followed in a Northern Central Hospital in Portugal. Participants answered the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL); Satisfaction with Sexual Relationship Questionnaire (SSRQ); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) and the Brief Cope. The results revealed that women with higher quality of life considered their symptoms of urine loss as mild or moderated compared to those with severe urine loss. The less severe urine loss was associated with greater sexual satisfaction and less use of religion and self-blame as coping strategies. In terms of coping, women who considered the loss of urine as severe expressed more feelings regarding UI. Stress urinary incontinence, high sexual satisfaction, and less use of denial, distraction, and religion as coping strategies, predicted higher quality of life. According to the results, UI has an impact on women’s sexual satisfaction and quality of life. Therefore, intervention programs should target these women, including their partners, helping them to adjust to their condition and teaching effective coping strategies in order to improve their sexual satisfaction and quality of life.O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a relação entre variá- veis clínicas, psicológicas, sociodemográficas e de qualidade de vida em mulheres com incontinência urinária. A amostra foi composta de 80 mulheres com diagnóstico de incontinência urinária (IU), seguido em um Hospital Central do Norte de Portugal. As participantes responderam: Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL); Satisfaction with Sexual Relationship Questionnaire (SSRQ); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) e o Brief Cope. Os resultados revelaram que as mulheres com uma maior qualidade de vida consideraram seus sintomas de perda de urina como leves ou moderados, em comparação àquelas com perda de urina grave. A perda de urina menos grave foi associada à maior satisfação sexual e menos uso de religião e autoculpabilização como estratégias de enfrentamento. Em termos de enfrentamento, as mulheres que consideraram a perda de urina como grave expressaram mais sentimentos em relação à IU. Incontinência urinária de esforço, alta satisfação sexual e menos uso da negação, distração e religião, como estratégias de enfrentamento, previram maior qualidade de vida. De acordo com os resultados, a IU tem um impacto na satisfação e na qualidade de vida sexual das mulheres. Assim, os programas de intervenção devem visar a essas mulheres, incluindo seus parceiros, ajudando-as a adaptar-se à sua condição e ensinar-lhes estratégias eficazes de enfrentamento, a fim de melhorar sua satisfação sexual e qualidade de vida