Communication between infertile women and nurses: facilitators, barriers and requirements for improving.

Nurses working in infertility clinics need to know effective ways of communicating with infertile women to help them experience their treatment period comfortably. However, they can face various stressors which can reduce the motivation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate communication between nurses in infertility clinics and infertile women from the perspective of both groups. The qualitative study was conducted in an InVitroFertilization clinic, in Turkey with five nurses and seven female patients. Data obtained from semi-structured interviews were thematically analyzed. Three main themes were identified: facilitators of communication (verbal and nonverbal facilitator), barriers to communication (related to nurses and women), and requirements for improving communication. Factors such as appropriate tone of voice, smiling, provide eye-to-eye contact are expressed by women and/or nurses as facilitators. The high tone of voice, yelling, etc. for women, stress and the low education level of women for nurses were barriers. The requirements expressed by women were nurses receiving training to improve their communication skills, and not having prejudice, while requirements for nurses were enough time, women being sincere, taking psychological support. This paper may provide nurses recognize facilitators and barriers to effective communication with women and include in their care plans.

Does conception spontaneously or with ART affect postpartum parenting behaviors?

Pregnancy and parenting may be psychologically more complex after assisted conception than after spontaneous conception. On the other hand, the literature demonstrates that mothers who conceived with ART comply with transition to parenting easily although they experience more problems in pregnancy and postpartum. This study aimed to compare postpartum parenting behaviors of women who conceived spontaneously or with ART. This descriptive, cross-sectional and comparative study was conducted between October 2017 and June 2018 in Dokuz Eylul University postpartum clinic with 50 spontaneous mother and 50 ART mothers. After a brief explanation of the study, the personal information form was applied to women and the parenting behaviours were observed by using Postpartum Parenting Behavior Scale. The total PPBS average score in the ART group was 5.40 ± 1.41 compared with 3.62 ± 2.24 in the comparison group. The ART mother displayed significantly a more positive attitude toward their infant than spontaneous mother (p = 0.00). Also, in six components of PPBS separately it was determined higher score in ART group, respectively (p = 0.04, p = 0.00, p = 0.00, p = 0.00, p = 0.00, p = 0.00). Mothers who were conceived with ART exhibit more positive parenting behaviors.

Does Hypnofertility-Based Nursing Care Affect Cortisol Levels, Fertility Preparedness, and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study used Hypnofertility-based interventions to determine whether these interventions would lead to increased fertility preparedness and pregnancy outcomes and decreased cortisol levels in women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. This randomized, controlled, prospective study was conducted from November 2017 through March 2019 in 61 Turkish women with unexplained infertility (intervention group: 30, control group: 31). Hypnofertility-based nursing care included affirmations, visualization, imagination, and relaxation from the first day of treatment until the day of the pregnancy test. The Fertility Preparedness Scale, a saliva sample for cortisol level, and the pregnancy test results were used for data collection. Hypnofertility-based nursing care decreased the cortisol levels of women in the intervention group compared to that in the control group (p = 0.00). Though fertility preparedness was higher in the intervention group, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.13). Although interventions relieved the women during the treatment process, there was no anticipated effect on pregnancy outcomes (p = 0.75). Hypnofertility-based nursing care significantly reduce the cortisol levels, suggesting that the intervention helped women relax.

Development of Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Stress has a negative impact on fertility by suppressing the secretion of fertility hormones. Although it is known that stress reduces the probability of conception and affects fertility negatively, scales that are now widely used to evaluate fertility preparedness include negative items. Positive statements are crucial to relieving stress in women. Using positive items in assessments of fertility preparedness in women may help reduce related stress. PURPOSE: This study was designed to develop the Fertility Preparedness Scale for women receiving fertility treatments. METHODS: A methodological study was conducted in four fertility clinics between December 2015 and March 2016. Two hundred thirty women who had been diagnosed with primary or secondary infertility were enrolled as participants. A personal information form and the Fertility Preparedness Scale were used to collect data. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha was .84 for the total scale and .76-.79 for the subscales. Factor analysis extracted three subscales that explained 52.93% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis found a goodness of fit index of .80, a comparative fit index of .95, and a nonnormed fit index of .94. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This scale is valid and reliable for measuring the fertility preparedness of women who receive fertility treatment.

Feelings, opinions and experiences of Turkish women with infertility: A qualitative study.

Many studies have shown that women's experiences, feelings and opinions during their infertility treatment play an important role in treatment outcomes. This qualitative study aimed to reveal the experiences, feelings and opinions of Turkish women with infertility. The data were collected from two Internet forums between October 2016 and November 2016, and the writings of 26 women were explored. The key words "woman with infertility," "feelings, opinion, experience and blogs" and "infertility and blogs" were browsed. The obtained data were analyzed using the method of content analysis. Those expressing feelings, opinions and experiences were underlined and codes, subthemes and themes were created by three researchers separately. Then they came together, discussed the codes and agreed on the thematic statement. The themes which emerged were psychological changes, changes in social life and changes related to treatment themes. Holistic approach and patient-specific interventions can help turn the abovementioned vicious cycle into positive.