Accepting Finite Disappointments amidst Infinite Hopes—Treatment-related Concerns in Infertile Women Seeking Medically Assisted Reproductive Treatments: A Clinic-based Cross-sectional Study from India
Ansha Patel, PSVN Sharma, Pratap Kumar
Keywords :
Assisted conception, In vitro fertilization, India, Infertility, Stress, Women
Citation Information :
Patel A, Sharma P, Kumar P. Accepting Finite Disappointments amidst Infinite Hopes—Treatment-related Concerns in Infertile Women Seeking Medically Assisted Reproductive Treatments: A Clinic-based Cross-sectional Study from India. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2024; 15 (1):15-25.
Aim: The aim of this study was to devise a measure to estimate the treatment-related concerns in women seeking fertility treatments. We also aimed to compare the women with and without psychiatric morbidity in their treatment experiences.
Settings and design: This study has a cross-sectional design, and the survey was conducted on 300 participants visiting the study site.
Measures: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) was used to assess for psychiatric comorbidity. Treatment concerns were assessed using the “treatment-related concerns scale for infertility (TRC-I)” devised by the investigators for this research.
Statistical analysis: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)—16 was used for descriptive data analysis, and Chi-square was used for univariate analysis to evaluate the associations between psychiatric comorbidity and treatment concerns.
Results: Our data suggests that women (especially those with psychiatric comorbidities) are considerably impacted by immediate physical, financial, emotional, and interpersonal outcomes from treatments.
Discussion: Women had serious concerns with lack of certainty of pregnancy, the side effects, fear, anxiety, and pain arising out of procedures, unmanageable emotional distress during intrauterine insemination (IUI)/in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, disturbances in their sexual functioning, financial strain, treatment continuation, and lastly the social implications of infertility. They were minimally bothered with the repeated blood tests and normalcy of the baby born. Those with psychiatric comorbidities were more concerned over repeated IUI/IVF cycles, recoveries, pain, fear, anxiety, and social stigma and voiced out to seek professional psychological support.
Conclusion: Flexibility in treatment planning, stability in clinical relationships, and staff support, along with psychological, informational, and spousal help, serve as important sources of positive treatment experiences.
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