Quality of Infertility Care Services and Emotional Health of South Asian Women

Abstract

Background Treatment tolerability and treatment environment are two major spheres of infertility care that may associate with women’s emotional health and coping mechanisms. Aim The present study aimed at assessing the relationship between infertility treatment quality and various aspects of emotion-focus coping, problem-focus coping, and avoidance coping mechanisms. Method The study was completed by using standardized tools and data from this descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study were collected from 350 women undergoing infertility treatments in private reproductive healthcare centers in Quetta, Pakistan. Findings Treatment tolerability was found to be positively associated with positive reframing (p < 0.02) and negatively associated with the use of emotional support (p < 0.03); acceptance (p < 0.01); humor (p < 0.03); behavioral disengagement (p < 0.01) and venting (p < 0.01). The quality of the treatment environment demonstrated a negative correlation between religious coping (p < 0.02) and behavioral disengagement (p < 0.01), whereas it showed a positive correlation with active coping (p < 0.03) and planning (p < 0.02). The linear regression analysis demonstrated that treatment tolerability significantly increased with positive reframing (R2 = 0.118, F(304) = 2.22, p < 0.03). Behavioral disengagement significantly decreased with better treatment environment (R2 = 0.111, F(304) = 2.09, p < 0.02). Discussion We discussed the findings keeping in view the role of social, cultural, and economic factors related to infertility care in the context South-Asian culture, and recommendations are made to promote women’s mental health and coping by improving some specific aspects of infertility treatment quality. Conclusions High treatment tolerability may associate with some useful aspects of emotion-focus coping, such as positive reframing, whereas low treatment tolerability may associate with avoidance coping, such as behavioral disengagement and venting. Besides, the quality of the infertility treatment environment enables women to use problem-focus coping mechanisms, such as planning and active coping.

Prevalence and predictive factors for infertility-related stress among infertile couples

“…Our results align with previous findings in other cultures worldwide. 24,38,39 Infertile couples frequently experience tremendous isolation from the fertile world due to perceived or actual social rejection and a lack of understanding from relatives and friends regarding their extreme desperation. 30 The current study showed that infertile couples living in an extended family type, especially those who do not have relatives suffering from infertility have higher global stress scores, have significantly higher psychological distress, and less evaluation of their general health than the nuclear family type.…”

Betaine postpones hyperglycemia‐related senescence in ovarian and testicular cells: Involvement of RAGE and β‐galactosidase

“…1 Some known causes of infertility include aging, oxidative stress (OS), environmental factors, certain lifestyles, and hormones. 1 Hyperglycemia is one of the conditions that can cause OS, which affects the ovarian and testicular cell activity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), an inevitable byproduct of glucose metabolism, causes OS.…”

“…Reactive oxygen species (ROS), an inevitable byproduct of glucose metabolism, causes OS. 1 Excessive production of ROS leads to DNA damage and the activation of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase1 a (PARP1) pathway, which is seen in hyperglycemia. 2,3 PARP1 inhibits the activity of glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase, which leads to the accumulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GA3P) and other intermediates of glycolysis, such as fructose-6-phosphate and glucose-6p.…”

“…In OS, there is an imbalance between ROS and antioxidants. 1,3 This phenomenon is a key factor in the development of cellular aging and the production of AGE. 8 The accumulation of AGEs and ROS together create a positive feedback loop that increases OS.…”

“…Infertility is recognized as one of the leading reproductive health problems in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2019, 48 million couples and 186 million people are infertile worldwide 1 . Some known causes of infertility include aging, oxidative stress (OS), environmental factors, certain lifestyles, and hormones 1 .…”