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

Abstract

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.

Lived Experiences of Woman in Relation to Infertility – A Review of the Qualitative Research

“…Anger can be directed towards oneself, close relatives, friends who are pregnant, partners who are fertile, the world, and even God (Fernandes, Papaikonomou & Nieuwoudt 2006;Mete et al 2020). Many described feeling angry and upset if they witnessed negative behavior toward children, such as verbal abuse, physical punishment, or perceived neglect, and at women who chose abortion (Bell 2013;Fernandes et al 2006).…”

“…Under the influence of intense and negative emotions that occur in the process of grief, a woman may see herself as worthless, 'defective', and unable to control her life in terms of her physical and emotional capabilities (Fernandes et al 2006). Also, she may feel worthless and perceive others as pitying or even mocking her (Mete et al 2020). Belief that infertility is a woman's problem can often be heard in women's narratives.…”

“…Belief that infertility is a woman's problem can often be heard in women's narratives. No matter what the cause of infertility, a woman may feel that it is her fault and that it was not "natural" for a woman not to be able to become pregnant naturally (Bell 2013;Mete et al 2020). Both partners may have difficulty accepting the identity of the biological non-parent and acceptance of infertility marks an important point in this couple's relationship.…”

“…The experience of infertility affects the partnership and can contribute to both distance and grater connection of the partner. Some women imposed hiding feelings and distance in their relationships with their spouses and partners, because they feel that the experience of infertility is not equally painful for them (Ceballo et al 2015;Mete et al 2020). Also, some woman describe that the experience of infertility only strengthened their partnership.…”

“…The majority of women described silence and isolation as the defining features of their relationships with other people (Ceballo et al 2015;Mete et al 2020;Parry 2004;Weinger 2009). They described experiencing extreme loneliness and identified few, if any, people with whom they felt comfortable talking about their experiences with infertility (Mete et al 2020). The pain is severe; you are kept at a distance by some friends and husband's relations.…”