The attitudes of IVF patients treated in the Czech Republic towards informing children born after gamete donation

BACKGROUND: In recent decades gamete donation has received growing attention. Data from the Czech National Registry of Assisted Reproduction show that the number of cycles using donated oocytes has been increasing every year. According to Czech law, gamete donation is anonymous. Since 2011, some members of the Czech parliament have repeatedly made requests to revoke the anonymity but anonymity is one of the preconditions for such donation in this country. The aim of this study was to find out how the gamete recipients feel towards informing their child about the circumstances of their conception and their access to the identity of the donor. METHODS: A total of 195 recipients (122 women undergoing treatment - 43 Czechs, 79 foreigners (Western Europe and the USA) and 73 male partners - 28 Czechs, 45 foreigners) participated in this survey. The data were obtained by anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: A significant difference between the attitude of the future Czech and foreign parents regarding disclosing the mode of conception was found (P = 0.003). The vast majority of Czechs were against disclosure. The foreign recipients were somewhat more divided. Regarding the donor's identity, there was no difference in atttitude between the groups. Recipients rarely consider that the knowledge of the donor's identity will be important for their child. The recipients overall, were convinced that the psychological aspects of parenting are far more important to the child than genetics, and see no reasons for disclosing the donor´s identity. CONCLUSION: While the the foreign recipients were less adamant about non-disclosure, the overall finding was in accord with the current Czech law on anonymity and not in agreement with the proposed abolition. The recipient's attitudes towards disclosing were also culturally determined. The fact that some countries have revised their rules towards open idendity is not a rationale for such change in the Czech Republic.