Qun Wei, Xinyi Yang, Xia Hong, Yu He, Zhuoya Fan, Zilian Wang

Nursing Department, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Zilian Wang, Nursing Department, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 3 Qingchun East Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 310020, People’s Republic of China, Email yanchen517@126.com

Objective: To explore the emotional experiences, decision-making dilemmas, and social support needs of mothers whose daughter has used donor sperm in assisted reproduction treatment due to azoospermia in the daughter’s partner. The findings will provide a basis for developing clinical education programs and optimising family decision support systems.
Methods: Mothers of 12 female patients undergoing donor sperm assisted reproduction at a A-grade tertiary care reproductive center were selected for semi-structured interviews from January 2025 to March 2025, and Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis was used to distil themes and report them according to COREQ guidelines.
Results: Three core themes and nine sub-themes were identified: (1) the complex emotions of knowing that the daughter’s spouse was azoospermia and would need to use donor sperm to conceive, including shock and anger, rationality and tolerance, as well as secret joy and relief; and (2) the multiple concerns about the future relationship between the daughter and her family: the uncertainty of the treatment process and outcome; the potential risk to privacy; the potential impact on the future marital relationship; and the psychological challenge of the identity of the offspring. (3) Comprehensive support and protection for the daughter: manifested in accompaniment to the clinic and financial support, protection of privacy and expectation of sperm selection.
Conclusion: The mother’s emotional experience of female patients using donor sperm in assisted reproductive technology (ART) presents complexity and multiplicity, and has a potential impact on the decision-making process of the couple. Therefore, caregivers should consider the psychological characteristics of female patients, their family relationships and the level of support their mothers provide when treating them. They should also provide personalized clinical education programs and information support. Furthermore, they should explore the degree to which mothers are involved in their daughters’ decision to use donor sperm. This will improve their decision-making experience and enhance the family’s overall satisfaction with the treatment.

Keywords: donor sperm, assisted reproductive technology, mother of the woman, decision making experience, qualitative research