Predictors of Intention to Receive Donated Oocytes Among Infertile People in Western Iran: The Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Introduction: Considerable advances in the field of medical technology have provided the chance for infertile couples to have children. Using donated oocytes is one of the methods of assisted reproductive technologies. This study aimed to investigate factors affecting the intention to receive donated oocytes in infertile people based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 infertile people referred to the Infertility Department of Fatemiyeh Hospital in Hamadan, west of Iran, in 2022. Participants were recruited using the convenience sampling method. The relationships between variables were determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression using SPSS software version 24. The significance level was considered at p < 0.05. Results: Participants’ mean age was 34.0 (standard deviation = 6.3). Most participants were female (n = 225, 75%). The intention had a significant positive correlation with attitude (r = 0.193, p < 0.01), subjective norms (r = 0.524, p < 0.01), and behavioral perceived control (r = 0.589, p < 0.01). The strongest predictor of behavioral intention to receive donated oocytes was behavioral perceived control (β = 0.422, p < 0.05), followed by subjective norms (β = 0.289, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results revealed that the intention to receive donated oocytes had a significant positive correlation with all TPB constructs. Considering the predictive power of perceived behavioral control and subjective norms in the intention to receive donated oocytes, it is necessary to pay more attention to the important role of these two constructs, compared to the attitude construct, in designing and implementing interventions related to the acceptance of this infertility treatment.