Complementary and alternative medicine use among infertile women attending infertility specialty clinics in South Korea: does perceived severity matter?

Abstract

BackgroundComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among infertile women is popular in many countries, including Korea. Previous research has repeatedly found more than half of infertile women surveyed use CAM therapies for fertility enhancement and overall well-being. However, there is currently little evidence to support this practice, and this raises the question of infertile women’s experiences in the uptake of those modalities and sociodemographic and psychological factors associated with CAM use. Thus, this study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of infertile women with regard to their use of CAM in Korea.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 263 infertile women attending infertility specialty clinics in Seoul, Korea, in June 2012. The survey instrument included 47 questions on the use of CAM, demographic characteristics, health status, and infertility related factors such as duration and type of infertility, experience and satisfaction of conventional treatment, and self-perceived severity of infertility condition. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis.ResultsAmong 286 respondents (response rate, 95.3%), a total of 263 women were included in the final analysis. 63.5% of respondents used one or more types of CAM modalities during infertility treatment. The utilization of CAM was associated with employment status, duration of infertility treatment, and self-perceived severity of the disease. The most commonly used CAM modalities were multivitamin and herbal medicine, and differences in types of CAM modalities used were found between the group with a higher rating of self-perceived disease severity and the lower perceived severity group.ConclusionsHigh prevalence of CAM use among infertile women was observed in Korea. Our findings support that infertile women’s own understanding of their illness and physical condition influences self-care behavior such as CAM use. This calls for an urgent need for further in-depth study of the clinical effects of popular CAM modalities among infertile women when used in conjunction with conventional treatment.

Exploring Reproductive Health Education Needs in Infertile Women in Iran: A Qualitative Study

“…Although little evidence exists to support these practices, current international research suggests that 29-96% of infertile women seek CAM in addition to conventional therapies [ 34 - 36 ]. Infertile women’s understanding of their illness and physical condition influences their self-care behaviors, such as CAM use [ 37 ]. Therefore, healthcare providers should routinely ask infertile women about the use of herbal medicines and CAM, educate them about the risks and benefits of herbal therapy use, and provide appropriate advice [ 34 ].…”

Acupuncture and herbal medicine for female infertility: An overview of systematic reviews

“…These therapies are classified into three main groups: natural products, mental and physical practice, and other complementary health approaches. 7 …”

“…Korea, 7 New Zealand, 8 Australia, 9 and the UK 10 reported the use of complementary therapies for infertile women. A study in Australia reported that women used complementary therapies to improve welfare or overcome the adverse effects of ART and because they will try anything to achieve pregnancy.…”

“…Approximately 63.5% of infertile women reported using complementary therapies, and more women who experienced adverse effects of ART reported using complementary therapies. 7 On the other hand, both physicians and medical users have questioned the evidence of complementary therapies. They argued that there is a need for evidence of the effectiveness of complementary therapies on infertility.…”

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage and its Determinant Factors among Infertile Men in Iran

“…However, they tend to be treated by natural treatments such as traditional ones (herbal medicines, wet cupping, homeopathy, acupuncture, and yoga) and are less likely to use invasive therapies ( 10 ). Studies show that ARTs are not always successful, so couples turn to treatments other than the standard ones ( 11 - 13 ). Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are among these treatments.…”