Infertility-related trauma examined in survey

A survey has found that many fertility patients experience trauma, and they believe it is often intensified by insufficient care.

Nearly 600 IVF patients in the UK and Ireland who had experienced trauma or distress as part of their fertility journey, responded to a survey carried out by Fertility Network UK, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Queen's University Belfast. Results of the survey showed 41 percent met the criteria for diagnosis with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD. In addition, over 60 percent of women reported that aspects of the fertility care they received caused or amplified trauma.

Lead researcher Dr Sofia Gameiro, a clinical and health psychologist at Cardiff University, said: 'Participants described a wide range of medical events as triggering traumatic experiences which were in many cases compounded by the care context. In many cases, it was the repetitive or cumulative effect of distressing events that seemed to exacerbate the traumatic nature of these, alongside social triggers.'

Common reasons for distress and trauma included unsuccessful IVF cycles, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, stillbirths and the general invasiveness of fertility treatments, patients reported. Other factors, such as the high cost of treatment, lack of NHS funding and social pressures, also added to the stress.

One patient noted: '[Embryo] transfer failed. No support given. No offer of counselling. We were devastated after each failed round and clinic offered absolutely no support.'

Researchers pointed out that the respondents to the survey were not necessarily representative of all patients with infertility, and that those who did not have children were more likely to have experienced trauma.

A minority of patients had reported positive experiences, with 28 percent reporting healthcare professionals had put support in place. Patients reported that positive experiences involved information to manage expectations of success, referrals for counselling carried out in a timely manner, and 'acknowledgement of reproductive experiences as traumatic, particularly in the context of miscarriage'.

Treatments exist for trauma, researchers also noted, citing trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy counselling and the gold standard EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) therapy.

'This research is very important because it confirms what people working in the fertility sector have suspected for a while, and that is that infertility-related trauma is very common, and it's a silent trauma within our society,' Dr Catherine Hill communications manager at Fertility Network UK told the BBC.

Julia Chain, chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said: 'This report shows just how crucial it is for patients to receive quality support at all stages of fertility treatment. Undergoing treatment can be a highly emotional experience and, as set out in the law, licensed clinics must offer counselling to all patients before their treatment begins.'