Abstract
BackgroundInfertility patients are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to supplement or replace conventional fertility treatments. The objective of this study was to determine the roles of CAM practitioners in the support and treatment of infertility.MethodsTen semi-structured interviews were conducted in Ottawa, Canada in 2011 with CAM practitioners who specialized in naturopathy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, hypnotherapy and integrated medicine.ResultsCAM practitioners played an active role in both treatment and support of infertility, using a holistic, interdisciplinary and individualized approach. CAM practitioners recognized biological but also environmental and psychosomatic determinants of infertility. Participants were receptive to working with physicians, however little collaboration was described.ConclusionsIntegrated infertility patient care through both collaboration with CAM practitioners and incorporation of CAM’s holistic, individualized and interdisciplinary approaches would greatly benefit infertility patients.
Highlights
Infertility patients are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to supplement or replace conventional fertility treatments
Fertility issues are primarily investigated by family practice physicians and gynecologists with unresolved infertility treated by reproductive endocrinologists using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) [2,3]
Treatment of infertility using CAM has been reported in studies from Australia [18,19,20,21,22,23], Canada [24], United Kingdom (UK) [25,26], United States (US) [27,28,29], Denmark [30], Jordan [31], Lebanon [32] and Turkey [33], reflecting patients’ acceptance and interest in alternative approaches to infertility treatment
Summary
Infertility patients are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to supplement or replace conventional fertility treatments. The objective of this study was to determine the roles of CAM practitioners in the support and treatment of infertility. In Canada, 9-23% women [37,38] report use of herbal supplements during pregnancy while 31% of male infertility patients acknowledged use of alternative therapies including vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies [24]. These studies indicate that Canadians are using CAM for reproductive health, the role of Canadian CAM practitioners in infertility treatment has not been examined
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