Psychosocial Aspects of Fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology

Stanhiser, Jamie; Steiner, Anne Z.

doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2018.04.006

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…This datum can be explained by considering the phenomenon of the progressive postponement of births in our country, so that, currently, the average age of first childbirth is 32.4 years for women and 35.3 for men, placing Italy as the second country in the European context for delayed maternity (Istat, 2017; Loghi and Crialesi, 2017). This situation supports the relevance of the topic for investigators interested in the study of couples coping with stress in the context of health and family issues (Vitale et al, 2017; Stanhiser and Steiner, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Examining the Role of Dyadic Coping on the Marital Adjustment of Couples Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

et al. 2019

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A couple is considered to be infertile if unable to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. An extended body of literature supports that infertility and infertility treatments contribute to emotional, social, sexual, and relational issues that can have a negative impact on each partner's well-being and on the couple relationship. Recent findings suggest that a dyadic approach should be used when working with couples coping with these stressors. However, most research to date has focused on the association between infertility and individual's psychological outcomes, rather than on the experience of infertility-related stress and coping from a relational perspective. Consequently, assuming that infertility is a dyadic stressor and that the ability of the partners to cope with this experience is the result of both individual and relational coping strategies, this study aimed to investigate dyadic coping and marital adjustment among couples at the beginning of an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment. A sample of 167 heterosexual couples (N = 334) undergoing ART treatment at the fertility clinic of a large hospital in Milan from January to December 2017 was recruited. Each participant completed self-reported questionnaires examining marital adjustment (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and dyadic coping (Dyadic Coping Questionnaire). Demographics and clinical variables were also collected. Data were analyzed using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), testing the effect of each partner's dyadic coping style on their own and their partner's marital adjustment. Results revealed that both women and partners' scores on positive dyadic coping styles (common, emotion-focused, problem-focused, and delegated dyadic coping) contributed to higher marital adjustment. This result suggests that couples unable to engage in this type of reciprocal supportive behaviors and those unsatisfied with their coping efforts may be more vulnerable while undergoing ART treatments. Furthermore, findings highlighted some gender differences for stress communication and negative dyadic coping suggesting the presence of specific dynamics within couples facing an ART treatment. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Examining the Role of Dyadic Coping on the Marital Adjustment of Couples Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

et al. 2019

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“…Besides this, also the experience of infertility treatment represents as an overwhelming condition that dominates patients' daily routine (Daniluk, 2001;Redshaw, Hockley, & Davidson, 2007) and may represent a critical moment because of the intrusion of medical procedures in the couple's intimate life (e.g., injections, stimulations, oocyte pick-ups). In this regard, patients undergoing ART procedures may perceive treatment as a source of deep stress, anxiety and concern (Purewal, Chapman, & van den Akker, 2018;Stanhiser & Steiner, 2018), which increase with the progression of therapeutic failures, generating a sort of "failure syndrome" (Langher, Fedele, Caputo, Marchini, & Aragona, 2019;Milazzo, Mnatzaganian, Elshaug, Hemphill, & Hiller, 2016;Verhaak et al, 2005). Patients also show higher levels of depression and shame, compared to people with infertility problems who do not undergo ART (Galhardo, Pinto-Gouveia, Cunha, & Matos, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

What about fertility staff emotions? An explorative analysis of healthcare professionals’ subjective perspective

et al. 2020

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Infertility-related psychological research is traditionally oriented to analyze the wellbeing of couples undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), than to study the job-related effects on the healthcare fertility staff. This piece of research aims at understanding the subjective perspective of the fertility professionals and contribute to identify their emotional dynamics in their work environment. An in-depth explorative research study was conducted on 12 healthcare professionals of an Italian ART hospital clinic. Structured interviews with open-ended questions were administered to explore their deep feelings about their professional experience. Emotional text analysis was then conducted to analyze the textual corpus of their narratives to grasp their affective symbolizations. Statistical multidimensional techniques were used to detect some thematic domains (cluster analysis) and latent factors organizing the contraposition between them (multiple correspondence analysis). Five thematic domains were detected which refer to different emotional dimensions, as follows: performance anxiety (Cluster 1), ambivalence between omnipotence and powerlessness (Cluster 2), care burden (Cluster 3), feeling of duty (Cluster 4), and sense of interdependence (Cluster 5). Then, four latent factors were identified dealing with the laborious attempt to remedy, the realistic sense of limitation, the incumbent feeling of pressure and the restorative sense of justice, respectively. The results are discussed based on the existing literature and some useful recommendations for staff education, training and clinical supervision are provided accordingly.

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“…RIF is a burden both for the health providers and the couples. Health providers are required to proceed to assisted reproduction techniques with rather small success rates, while the couples are overloaded with psychological stress (Coughlan et al, 2014b;Stanhiser and Steiner, 2018), not to mention the financial pressure due to the repeated cycles. It is thus imperative for health providers to employ novel tools aiming to improve the reproductive outcome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to Improve Endometrial Receptivity in Case of Repeated Implantation Failures

Makrigiannakis

Makrygiannakis

Vrekoussis

2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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Repeated implantation failures are a constant challenge in reproductive medicine with a significant impact both on health providers and on infertile couples. Several approaches have been proposed so far as effective; however, accumulative data have clarified that most of the treatment options do not have the evidence base for a generalized application to be suggested by the relevant societies. Implantation failures are attributed to either poor quality embryos or to defected endometrial receptivity. The current review aims to summarize in a systematic way all the new trends in managing RIF via interference with endometrial receptivity. The authors focus mainly, but not exclusively, on endometrial injury prior to embryo transfer and endometrial priming with autologous cells or biological agents. To this direction, a systematic search of the Pubmed database has been conducted taking into account the emerged evidence of the last two decades. All the suggested interventions are herein presented and analyzed in terms of reproductive outcomes. It is evident that properly powered and designed randomized trials are needed to support a new standard approach in RIF treatment that will safely be incorporated in national and international guidelines.

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Psychosocial Aspects of Fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology

Cited by 46 publications

References 52 publications

Examining the Role of Dyadic Coping on the Marital Adjustment of Couples Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Examining the Role of Dyadic Coping on the Marital Adjustment of Couples Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

What about fertility staff emotions? An explorative analysis of healthcare professionals’ subjective perspective

Approaches to Improve Endometrial Receptivity in Case of Repeated Implantation Failures

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