Factors Related to Meaning of Life in Taiwanese Women Treated with In Vitro Fertilization

Abstract

The meaning of life can be defined as a sense of a clear aim in life and a belief that one's daily activities are meaningful. Pregnancy is clearly an important aim of women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the meaning of life and its related factors among women who underwent IVF treatment throughout the first treatment cycle until either pregnancy was achieved or when the attempt was abandoned. This cross-sectional study was performed in a single medical center in Taiwan. A total of 149 subjects were recruited from women receiving IVF (n = 69) and women who had experienced IVF failure within the previous 1 year (n = 80). These women were classified into four subgroups according to their treatment stages: beginning of first IVF (n = 39); pregnancy/delivery (n = 22); continuing treatment (n = 64); and discontinuing treatment (n = 24). The Purpose in Life (PIL) test, a previously developed instrument designed to measure meaning of life, was administered to all patients at their follow-up IVF visit. The mean PIL score was 99.1 +/- 19.5, which indicated that all subjects had some degree of uncertainty regarding the meaning of life; however, no significant difference in PIL score was found among the four groups. Four factors were extracted from PIL by factor analysis, among which "existential frustration" (factor 4) was highest in the continuing group and those with a lower level of education; whereas "being in control" (factor 2 ) was lowest in women whose infertility had a female etiology. Treatment stage, educational level, and etiology of infertility were found to be factors influencing the meaning of life in women undergoing IVF.