Assisted Reproduction: What factors interfere in the professional's decisions? Are single women an issue?

BMC Women's Health

Research Article

PierGiorgio Crosignani¹  Ricardo Felberbaum²  Eduardo P Passos³  Suzana Záchia³  Juliana R Chachamovich³  Ana H Paz³  Eduardo Chachamovich⁴  José R Goldim⁵  Daniela Knauth⁶  Basil C Tarlatzis⁷ 

[1] Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Istituto Luigi Mangiagalli, University of Milan, Milan, Italy;Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinic Kempten-Oberallgaeu, Kempten, Germany;Post-Graduate Program in Medicine, Assisted Reproduction Service, Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, 90035-903, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Post-Graduate Program in Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Research And Post-Graduation Group, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Social Medicine Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Nea Efkarpia Peripheral Road, 54603, Thessaloniki, Greece;

关键词: Assisted Reproduction;    Single Woman;    Heterosexual Couple;    Assisted Reproduction Technology;    Serodiscordant Couple;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6874-11-21

 received in 2010-09-22, accepted in 2011-05-31,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWith the development of medical technology, many countries around the world have been implementing ethical guidelines and laws regarding Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR). A physician's reproductive decisions are not solely based on technical criteria but are also influenced by society values. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the factors prioritized by MAR professionals when deciding on whether to accept to perform assisted reproduction and to show any existing cultural differences.MethodsCross-sectional study involving 224 healthcare professionals working with assisted reproduction in Brazil, Italy, Germany and Greece. Instrument used for data collection: a questionnaire, followed by the description of four special MAR cases (a single woman, a lesbian couple, an HIV discordant couple and gender selection) which included case-specific questions regarding the professionals' decision on whether to perform the requested procedure as well as the following factors: socio-demographic variables, moral and legal values as well as the technical aspects which influence decision-making.ResultsOnly the case involving a single woman who wishes to have a child (without the intention of having a partner in the future) demonstrated significant differences. Therefore, the study was driven towards the results of this case specifically. The analyses we performed demonstrated that professionals holding a Master's Degree, those younger in age, female professionals, those having worked for less time in reproduction, those in private clinics and Brazilian health professionals all had a greater tendency to perform the procedure in that case. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that the reasons for the professional's decision to perform the procedure were the woman's right to gestate and the duty of MAR professionals to help her. The professionals who decided not to perform the procedure identified the woman's marital status and the child's right to a father as the reason to withhold treatment.ConclusionThe study indicates differences among countries in the evaluation of the single woman case. It also discloses the undervaluation of bioethics committees and the need for a greater participation of healthcare professionals in debates on assisted reproduction laws.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Záchia et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011