Abstract
Patients undergoing fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), face unique challenges both physically and mentally. With the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, IVF patients began to face additional obstacles as hospitals and clinics shut down in compliance with recommendations for limiting exposure risk. In order to assess the impact of COVID-19 on IVF patients, we conducted a qualitative analysis using 563 public Instagram posts collected from three randomly selected days in March 2020. After the exclusion of 354 posts, thematic coding was used to analyze 209 posts. Five major themes were identified including (1) the medical and physical experience of IVF, (2) emotional spectrum, (3) sources of social support, (4) coping mechanisms, and (5) education on social media. Posts were categorized based on whether COVID-19 was discussed and theme frequencies were compared. The majority of patients impacted by the pandemic discussed setbacks to care, such as clinic closures. In addition, posts authored by those impacted by COVID-19 contained more negative emotions and fewer positive emotions compared to unaffected users. Despite an increase in setbacks and negative emotions, posts offering support nearly tripled in frequency highlighting the resilience of the IVF community. Our thematic analysis supports the need for careful consideration of the psychological and social effects of cycle cancellations on the IVF community. Experiences and sentiments revealed by this study should be considered when a successive pandemic or global emergency threatens IVF treatment protocols.
Highlights
Seven million couples seek medical care for infertility annually [1]
The remaining 209 posts were all published by females at varying stages of In-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment including before (n=138, 66%), during (n=34, 16.3%), and after pregnancy (n=20, 9.6%), with pregnancy status unable to be determined in 8.1% (n=17)
Statistical analysis demonstrated that the frequencies of posts between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 posts significantly differed among the following themes and subthemes: barriers/setbacks, negative emotions, social support, and positive community offerings of social support (p < 0.05)
Summary
The process of undergoing medical treatment for infertility is challenging for women and requires significant cost, time, and tolerance for the physical effects of procedures and hormonal injections [2,3]. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, additional challenges arose as physicians, including infertility specialists, were confronted with achieving a balance between providing high-quality healthcare and minimizing patient risk. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that providers conduct telephone triage and utilize telemedicine technologies to minimize the risk of viral exposure [6]. The aim of this study was to utilize qualitative analysis of public Instagram posts to understand the experiences of patients undergoing, or who have previously undergone, IVF treatment during the COVID-19 global pandemic
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