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Human Fertility
an international, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to furthering research and promoting good practice
Volume 26, 2023 - Issue 5
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Review Articles

Sperm donors versus long-term mates: a comparison of preferences of heterosexual and lesbian women

Pages 936-948 | Received 09 Feb 2021, Accepted 24 Sep 2021, Published online: 13 Jan 2022
 

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore whether lesbian women’s preferences for a sperm donor or a long-term mate show a pattern similar to those of heterosexual women. Three hundred and eighty-three donor insemination patients, of whom 278 were heterosexual and 105 were lesbian, completed a questionnaire comprising a series of 35 traits and rated the importance of each trait in a sperm donor and again in a long term mate. Results showed that traits relating to socioeconomic status, genetic background and general health, physical appearance, and personality were rated by lesbian women as more important in a long-term mate than in a sperm donor. It was further found that both heterosexual and lesbian women attached higher importance to the socioeconomic status, personality and physical appearance of the long-term mate than of the sperm donor; heterosexual women attached similar importance to the genes and health of a long-term mate and a sperm donor, while lesbian women attached greater importance to the genetic background and general health of the sperm donor than those of a long-term mate. The implications and interpretations of the findings are discussed in light of Trivers’ parental investment theory.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to express her gratitude to the editors of Human Fertility and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

Ethical approval

Before embarking on the study the author obtained ethical approval by the IRB committee of the Academic College of Tel Aviv Jaffa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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