The Experience of Chinese Couples Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization Treatment: Perception of the Treatment Process and Partner Support

Abstract

BackgroundCouples undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Treatment suffer as dyads from the stressful experience of the painful treatment and the fear that the IVF cycle will fail. They are likely to report that their marital relationship has become unstable due to the prolonged period of treatment.MethodsThis is a qualitative study that was conducted to explore the experiences that Chinese couples have had with IVF treatment, especially their perceptions of the process and the support between couples.ResultsThe interviews revealed that couples suffered from the process, experiencing physical and emotional pain, struggling with the urgency and inflexibility of bearing a child, and experiencing disturbances in their daily routines and work. The participants described how they endured the hardships as a couple and how it affected their relationship. The couples felt that sharing feelings and supporting each other contribute to psychological well-being and improves the marital relationship. They also identified some unfavorable aspects in their partner relationship. They were ambivalent about receiving social support from friends and family members.ConclusionsWith the couples indicating that the support that they received from each other affected their experience during the treatment process, it is suggested that a supportive intervention that focuses on enhancing the partnership of the couples and dealing with their inflexibility on the issue of bearing a child might result in improvements in the psychological status and marital relationship of infertile couples undergoing IVF treatment.

The Partnership and Coping Enhancement Programme for couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment: the development of a complex intervention in China

“…The three steps are as follows: (1) identifying evidence by conducting reviews of the relevant literature and carrying out a concept analysis and a qualitative study; (2) identifying/developing a theory-in this case, putting forward a preliminary Endurance with Partnership Conceptual Framework (P-EPCF) for couples undergoing IVF treatment; and (3) modelling the process and outcomes of the PCEP. It should be noted that the literature reviews [1,3,21], the concept analysis [25] and the qualitative study [26] have been published, and that the preliminary Endurance with Partnership Conceptual Framework (P-EPCF) [27] has been developed and is under review for publication. The key findings of these reviews and the studies that contributed to the development of this complex intervention are recaptured and presented in this report.…”

“…-Handbook for infertility counselling [32] -Literature reviews [1,3] -Findings from the qualitative study on the experiences of Chinese couples undergoing IVF treatment [26] 2. Dyadic coping: Improving the individual and dyadic coping skills of infertile couples.…”

“…A content analysis of the interviews revealed four themes related to the experience of infertile couples: the process of hardship, enduring hardship with a loving relationship, the partnership in couples and ambivalence towards social support [26].…”

“…Some unfavourable aspects of partner support were also identified, including a lack of involvement or partnership on the part of the male partner, and a lack of emotional support for males. The couples feel ambivalent about receiving support from others, such as family members, friends, and health care providers, and support from others plays a limited role in the couples' efforts to cope with the hardship of infertility and its treatment [26].…”

“…The P-EPCF was then extended to include the middle-range model for partnership [25], and the model for the experience of IVF couples emerged from the qualitative study [26].…”