Abstract Objective In the United States there is a clear lack of racial and ethnic diversity among non-identified sperm donors, with an underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic donors, resulting in recipients failing to find donors that share their physical characteristics and racial identity. This lack of diversity exists despite focused recruiting efforts from sperm banks. This study aimed to identify social and cultural factors which may contribute to this phenomenon. Design Individuals assigned male at birth between the ages of 18 and 40 were surveyed. The relationship between each subject’s demographic information and their knowledge of and attitudes toward sperm donation was assessed to compare responses between multiple demographic groups (e.g. race, relationship status, sexuality). Results We observed differences between respondents (N=184) of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in attitudes toward several aspects of sperm donation. Most notably, Black/ African American respondents were more likely than other respondents to cite mistrust in the medical system (p= 0.03, N= 6/24, 25%) or being uncomfortable with the idea of sperm donation (p= 0.01, N=13/24, 54.2%) as being a barrier to donation than other respondents. Hispanic/ Latino/ Spanish respondents were more likely to cite perceived risk of having to pay child support as a barrier to donation (p= 0.005, N=6, 32%). There were also observed differences in respondents of different sexualities, with gay and bisexual respondents being more willing to donate to same-sex couples (p=0.005). Conclusions Recruiting efforts should aim to educate donors on their rights, obligations, as well as potential benefits and drawbacks prior to and after donating to combat false perceptions of this process. Recruitment efforts should be developed in the context of potential mistrust in the medical system, with sensitivity to how this may discourage individuals from donating. In the interest of creating transparency and autonomy, banks may also want to consider newer donation models, providing opportunities for donors to have more open relationships with sperm recipients, which may eliminate some concerns around the environment in which a child will be raised.
Anderson et al. (Fri,) studied this question.