Skip Navigation



Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on September 7, 2006
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/del344
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
22/1/295    most recent
del344v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Redshaw, M.
Right arrow Articles by Davidson, L.L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Redshaw, M.
Right arrow Articles by Davidson, L.L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received January 18, 2006
Revised June 27, 2006
Accepted July 1, 2006

Article

A qualitative study of the experience of treatment for infertility among women who successfully became pregnant

M. Redshaw 1 *, C. Hockley 1, and L.L. Davidson 2

1 National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
2 Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, NY, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. Redshaw, E-mail: maggie.redshaw{at}npeu.ox.ac.uk


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: In a study in which 18 503 women who had recently given birth were interviewed, 460 women who had received treatment for infertility (2.6%) were asked to participate in a postal study. The aim was to investigate the experience of women who had undergone treatment for infertility and given birth as a consequence, focusing on perceptions of treatment and care. METHODS: The study relies on responses to open-ended questions about the impact of treatment, how treatment could be improved and advice to policy makers. The text responses to these questions were analysed qualitatively. RESULTS: A total of 230 women responded (50%). Emergent themes related to the treatment process, pain and distress, lack of choice and control, timing, emotional and financial costs, fairness and contrasts in care. CONCLUSIONS: Women wished to be treated with respect and dignity and given appropriate information and support. They wanted their distress recognized, to feel cared for and to have confidence in health professionals in situations where outcomes are uncertain. Women acknowledged receiving care from motivated and skilled health professionals and value the children they have enormously. For many, there is now a sense of being complete, though for some this has been at great emotional and financial cost.

Keywords: infertility/infertility treatment/qualitative methods/women’s perceptions.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
I. W.H. van Empel, W. L.D.M. Nelen, E. T. Tepe, E. A.P. van Laarhoven, C. M. Verhaak, and J. A.M. Kremer
Weaknesses, strengths and needs in fertility care according to patients
Hum. Reprod., October 27, 2009; (2009) dep362v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.