Awareness and acceptability of invitro fertilization with donor gamete as reproduction alternative for reducing the risk for giving birth to children with sickle cell disease among at risk couples

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of red blood cell which is transferable from parent carriers to their offspring. It is associated with lots of morbidity and mortality. Invitro fertilization (IVF) with donor gamete is an alternative reproduction option for reducing the risk for giving birth to children with SCD. The awareness and acceptability of this option have not been assessed in our environment. Objective: To assess the awareness and acceptability of IVF with donor gamete as reproduction alternative for reducing the risk for giving birth to children with SCD among at risk couples. Materials and Methods: Seventy-three biological parents of children with SCD were interviewed with semi-structured questionnaire following consent at the Paediatric Haematology outpatient clinic of ESUT Teaching hospital Parklane, Enugu. Convenient sampling method was used. Data obtained was entered into SPSS version 26 and later exported to SPSS version 29 with which it was analyzed. Results: Awareness and acceptability (following education) of IVF with donor gamete as reproduction alternative for reducing the risk for giving birth to children with SCD among the respondents were 3 (4.1%) and 25 (34.2%) respectively. Desire for biological children was the commonest reason for acceptance 22 (30.1%) and non-acceptance 40 (54.8%) of the option. Conclusion: Awareness and acceptability of IVF with donor gamete as reproduction alternative for reducing the risk for giving birth to children with SCD were poor. To improve on both, there is much need for awareness creation and reorientation.