A study by the Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), published in The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, alerts to the need for public information campaigns and recruitment of gamete donors – eggs and sperm donated for Medically Assisted Procreation techniques – to invest in more diversified communication channels in order to improve recruitment and reduce the stigma associated to conception through gamete donation.
According to Catarina Samorinha, co-author of the paper, “the widening of access to Medically Assisted Procreation techniques for single women and same-sex female couples in 2016 led to an increase in the demand for donated gametes in the public sector in Portugal. In our country, there is only one Public Bank of Gametes in Porto, and there is a shortage of donors to meet this increased demand”.
“Given this context, there was an investment in public communication campaigns on gamete donation, with the aim of increasing the number of donors and reducing the stigma associated with conception with donated gametes”, the researcher says.
Considering the importance of evaluating the implementation of these campaigns and knowing the perceptions of the target audience, this ISPUP research analyzed donors´ and beneficiaries’ perspectives on public gamete donation campaigns. A total of 72 donors and 177 beneficiaries recruited from the Public Bank of Gametes (Porto) participated in the study.
The aim was to gather information to guide the design of future people-centered campaigns, i.e., responsive campaigns tailored to the needs, preferences and values of the target audiences, in order to increase their effectiveness.
First, the results showed the need to invest in the dissemination of campaigns in more accessible and diverse locations, which go beyond Health Care Centers, Hospitals and Universities, that were identified as the main places where participants had contact with the campaigns.
According to Catarina Samorinha, this investment will “diversify the target audience of communication actions”. Normally designed for college students, campaigns “should also consider other audiences, such as married men with children; and health professionals who do not specialize in Reproductive Medicine, as their involvement is crucial in publicizing these campaigns”, she adds.
Additionally, the study concluded that the communication channels through which campaigns are disseminated should be tailored to the objectives: reducing stigma and improving donor recruitment. Television was the most mentioned channel, and appears to be effective in disseminating donor recruitment-related content and in improving awareness of gamete donation in the general population.
Research shows that sharing experiences in workshops, with the participation of the various stakeholders in the process, in public spaces, is key to motivating solidarity, raising awareness of gamete donation and reducing the stigma associated with it.
“The results of this work show that it is important to focus on the dissemination of campaigns through various communication channels and that they must be accessible in various contexts in order to reach more people. Another aspect that stood out through the participants’ report was the importance of involving health professionals and using real testimonials in gamete donation campaigns. This information could also be used to improve the effectiveness of these communication actions”, she concludes.
The research was conducted within the project Engaged – Bionetworking and Gamete Donation Citizenship, led by the ISPUP researcher, Susana Silva, and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
The work, developed within the ISPUP Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), is entitled Concerns with educating the public about donating and receiving gametes. The researchers Ana Moura, Cláudia de Freitas, Liliana Abreu and Inês Baía also participated in the study.
