scholarly journals Infertile Couples' Needs after Unsuccessful Fertility Treatment: a Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira Ebrahimzadeh Zagami ◽  
Robab Latifnejad Roudsari ◽  
Roksana Janghorban ◽  
Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi Bazaz ◽  
Maliheh Amirian ◽  
...  

Introduction: Infertility is a major medical issue. Investigations and treatment of infertility are the beginning of a complex, time-consuming and stressful process for couples that may fail well. The present study explored the needs of infertile couples following treatment failure with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in an Iranian infertility center, in the Northeast of the country between April 2016 and June 2017. The researchers recruited 29 individuals including 9 couples, 9 women and two men with primary infertility through purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed iteratively, using conventional content analysis with MAXQDA software. Results: The main concepts obtained from the data were classified into one theme titled: ""The need for support"" and four main categories along with their subcategories, and included the need for psychological support, the need for more useful information, the need for social support and the need to access to supplementary services. Conclusion: The findings show that following treatment failure, the infertile patients’ expressed needs and preferences were not met. Identifying and meeting their needs may help the infertile couples to deal with ARTs failure and to reach a decision about future treatment.

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira Ebrahimzadeh Zagami ◽  
Robab Latifnejad Roudsari ◽  
Roksana Janghorban ◽  
Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi Bazaz ◽  
Maliheh Amirian ◽  
...  

Objectives: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) give hope to some infertile couples; however, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is expensive and not subsidized by the Iranian state. More than 75% of IVF cycles in Iranian couples are unsuccessful. The aim of this study is to describe the challenges experienced by infertile couples after unsuccessful treatment. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive qualitative study, 36 participants including 29 Iranian infertile couples recruited after unsuccessful ART treatments, five infertility treatment team members and 2 relatives of infertile couples were interviewed at an Infertility Center in Northeastern Iran from April 2016 to June 2017. Data were collected using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was carried out following Sandelowski. Results: Iranian infertile couples’ experiences following failed ART cycles are described. The findings presented here show that Iranian infertile couples experience stressors during treatment cycles and systemic challenges which may be unique to the Iranian cultural context. Conclusions: Iranian infertile couples face particular challenges related to the cultural context in which ARTs are delivered. Further exploration of the effects of culture on the experiences of failed ARTs needs to be considered by infertility clinics in Iran.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Adeleye ◽  
Paolo Rinaudo

AbstractThe use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has increased significantly in recent years. While this is partially due to improved access for infertile patients, another contribution to the growth of ART utilization is represented by individuals without infertility, who electively chose to freeze their gametes and embryos for future use, before ever attempting conception spontaneously. Overall, the safety of ART for parents and children is well described and the risks are modest. However, while long-term health consequences for offspring as postulated by the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis are unknown, numerous animal studies suggest a predisposition for chronic diseases like hypertension and glucose intolerance. In this article, we argue that a key difference exists between infertile patients, who need to use ART as the only means to achieve pregnancy, and (likely) fertile patients who elect to use ART techniques as a family planning option. We believe that these two sets of patients are different and their risks–benefit ratios are different. We propose that while all patients should be aware of the risks, patients planning to utilize ART techniques without a diagnosis of infertility should be encouraged to think critically about the additional risks, particularly the “potential” long-term risks that may be imposed from these elective procedures.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Speier

Both the Czech Republic and the United States are destinations for cross-border reproductive travellers. For North Americans, including Canadians, who opt to travel to the Czech Republic for IVF using an egg donor, they are entering a fertility industry that is anonymous. This makes the Czech Republic different from other European countries that necessitate open gamete donation, as in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. For reproductive travellers coming to the United States for fertility treatment, there is a wider menu of choices regarding egg donation given the vastly unregulated nature of the industry. More recently, professionals in the industry are pushing for ‘open’ egg donation. For intended parents traveling to either location seeking in vitro fertilization using an egg donor, they must choose whether or not to pursue open or closed donation. As pre-conception parents, they navigate competing discourses of healthy parenting of donor-conceived offspring. They must be reflexive about their choices, and protective when weighing their options, always keeping their future child's mental, physical and genetic health in mind. Drawing from ethnographic data collected over the course of six years in the United States and the Czech Republic, this paper will explore both programs, paying special attention to the question of how gamete donation and global assisted reproductive technologies intersect with different notions about healthy pre-conception parenting.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 582-594
Author(s):  
Catarina Samorinha ◽  
Mateusz Lichon ◽  
Susana Silva ◽  
Mike Dent

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare user involvement in the case of assisted reproductive technologies in England and Portugal through the concepts of voice, choice and co-production, assessing the implications for user empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study draws primarily on policy review and uses exploratory semi-structured interviews with key informants as a way of illustrating points. Data on the following themes was compared: voice (users’ representativeness on licensing bodies and channels of communication between users and doctors); choice (funding and accessibility criteria; choice of fertility centres, doctors and level of care); and co-production (criteria through which users actively engage with health professionals in planning the treatment). Findings – Inter- and intra-healthcare systems variations between the two countries on choice and co-production were identified. Differences between funding and accessibility, regions, public and private sectors and attitudes towards doctor-patient relationship (paternalistic/partnership) were the key issues. Although consumer choice and indicators of co-production are evident in treatment pathways in both countries, user empowerment is not. This is limited by inequalities in accessibility criteria, dependence on doctors’ individual perspectives and lack of genuine and formal hearing of citizens’ voice. Originality/value – Enhancing users’ involvement claims for individual and organizational cultures reflecting user-centred values. Effective ways to incorporate users’ knowledge in shared decision making and co-design are needed to empower patients and to improve the delivery of care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-148
Author(s):  
I.I. Znamenskaya ◽  
M.R. Travkova ◽  
K.R. Arutyunova

The paper is focused on ethical issues of making decisions about cryopreserved embryos in the context of relationship break-up in the framework of the embryo’s legal status and the church’s stand on the matter. All these issues can be viewed as part of a broader problem of intuitive and rational foundations for decision-making when facing difficult situations in life. On the one hand, the stressful context of the situation implies intuitive-driven decision-making; on the other hand, assisted reproductive technologies are largely counter-intuitive. We describe the peculiarities of family psychotherapy with mixed-agenda couples going through a divorce who have joint cryopreserved embryos but disagree on what to do with them. We introduce a protocol for psychotherapeutic work in the situation when one partner wishes to continue with the fertility treatment and have a child while the other partner is determined to utilize joint embryos as unwanted biological material. In addition, we discuss emotional and social complications that may arise (guilt, unfaithfulness of one of the partners, other losses, and grieving).


2022 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Esmaelzadeh ◽  
Fatemeh Aghamahdi ◽  
Roghayeh Mirmajidi ◽  
Soraya Parvari ◽  
Keshvad Hedayatian ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 crisis has created many problems, including a negative impact on student education. Objectives: The study aimed to understand the resident medical students' performance experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is essential for future planning. Methods: The present qualitative study was performed on 15 resident medical students in Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from September to November 2020. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Analysis of the meaning units of interviews showed four categories describing the resident students' experiences of performance during COVID-19 as follows: Fear and anxiety, the need for support, the sense of responsibility, and the lack of educational facilities. Conclusions: The present study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had posed incredible new challenges for resident students. Assessing the mental health of residents, providing adequate protective equipment, and support from authorities and community members can create empathy, reduce the feeling of fear, and increase their accompaniment with pandemic managing programs. Due to the problems created in the training of residents during the pandemic, it seems necessary to propose rehabilitation courses to improve the training program for residents in various fields.


Author(s):  
Hasan Jafari ◽  
Abbass YazdanPanah ◽  
Abdolreza Akbari

Background: One of the ways through which the quality of the hospital services can be improved is the accreditation, and most of the countries have launched their own accreditation system as a strategy to improve services. The aim of this research was to investigate the way of implementing the accreditation programs at Shahid Motahhari educational center in Marvdasht city. Methods: The current study was qualitative with conventional content analysis which was conducted by using the semi-structured interviews with eight officials and employees of Marvdasht Shahid Motahhari Medical Education Center in 2017. Purposeful sampling was done in this study and the next stage; the snowball sampling method was used to select the desired samples. Data were gathered to reach the data saturation point, and conventional content analysis was done to analyze the research data. Results: Two main themes and nineteen sub-themes were obtained through the nine categories. Self-confidence in the team, sense of superiority and achievement, all units’ coordination, accurate and scientific coherent supervision and management, and considering the book of standards as a guiding factor are among the strengths of this research.Poor management of programs, lack of proper context while running the program, lack of proper training, lack of financial and human resources, lack of commitment and interest in implementing the program among different groups were main identified barriers of the program. Conclusion: The effective factors on the implementation of the accreditation standards in the healthcarecenters should be identified. Besides, planning effective education, continued monitoring and assessing, creating suitable contexts of financial and human resources,consolidating the strengths and using the available potentials can be effective factors in line with the implemetation of accreditation standards.   Keywords: Accreditation, Hospital, Qualitative study, Evaluation


Author(s):  
Harsimrat Kaur ◽  
Ram Dayal ◽  
Kamla Singh

What exactly does an embryologist do? is one of the most common question asked by patients and the possible answer could be that embryologist is the child’s first watchperson. The ability to grow embryos in laboratory environment was a huge scientific achievement. Scientists and Embryologists are involved in reproductive research and fertility treatment. The embryologist has a huge role to play in IVF/ICSI process and the contribution of embryologist is no less than infertility consultant. They might not be doctors, but they are highly trained medical professionals, holding a master’s degree or Ph.D. due to specialized nature of work. They are responsible for management and maintenance of laboratory used in creating embryos as well as monitoring those embryos. The important activities that embryologist does are maintaining the embryology lab (temperature, humidity, CO2 cylinder, diffusion gas and pH), oocyte screening during ovum pickup (OPU), incubation and checking of fertilization, embryo transfer, vitrification and embryo biopsy for pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).


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