Abstract
BackgroundThe unfulfilled desire of millions of infertile couples worldwide to have their own biological children results in emotional distress. This study evaluated the emotional reactions of couples attending a combined infertility clinic in Kuwait and successful clients' perception of nurses.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative methods were used. The first phase was by structured interview using two standardized psychological scales: the 25-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Modified Fertility Adjustment Scale. Data were collected from 268 couples attending the combined infertility clinic, between October 2002 and September 2007. The second phase was a semi-structured interview of 10 clients who got pregnant following treatment. The interview explored their feelings and perception of the nurses' role. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed.ResultsThe average duration of infertility was 4 years; 65.7% of the women and 76.1% of men suffered from primary infertility. Emotional reactions experienced were: anxiety in women (12.7%) and men (6%), depression in women (5.2%) and men (14.9%) and reduced libido in women (6.7%) and men (29.9%). Also in men, 14.9% experienced premature ejaculation, 5.2% weak ejaculation and 7.9% had impotence although 4.9% were transient. In the semi-structured interviews, the emotions expressed were similar and in addition to anger, feelings of devastation, powerlessness, sense of failure and frustration. In the survey, 12.7% of the men were found to show more anxiety than women (6%). Although all the 10 women interviewed confirmed they were anxious; only 4 of their partners were reported to be sad or anxious. Successful clients' perception of nurses' roles included nurses carrying out basic nursing procedures, communicating, educating about investigative and treatment procedures, providing emotional support by listening, encouraging, reassuring and being empathetic.ConclusionsThis study illuminates the emotional reactions of infertile clients. Fertility nurses in Kuwait can provide emotional support through communication. The need for additional and continuous training for nurses employed in fertility settings in Kuwait is paramount.
Highlights
The unfulfilled desire of millions of infertile couples worldwide to have their own biological children results in emotional distress
Nurses employed in fertility settings in Kuwait should be developed into specialist fertility nurses, through training and certification to enable them perform more expanded nursing roles like embryo transfer and counseling of distressed clients
Therapeutic communication is already included in all pre-registration nursing curricula, and counseling is part of post- basic nursing courses
Summary
The unfulfilled desire of millions of infertile couples worldwide to have their own biological children results in emotional distress. A review of infertility rates reported in 25 population surveys from 1990-2006 from both developed and developing countries estimated 72.4-120.6 million women aged between 20-44 years, in Infertility management should be viewed holistically because the medical, psychological, spiritual and sociocultural components of infertility are inseparable and need to be addressed simultaneously. Psychological stress is inevitable for the infertile clients and there are different views about how it affects the outcome of treatment. Infertility specialist doctors have large caseloads, making extensive consultation time with each client difficult to arrange. Some clients, unsatisfied with limited consultation time perceive doctors as only being concerned with treating underlying medical or gynecological problems and not providing emotional support by ‘consoling’ them or addressing their emotional problems [4,5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
