A study of the experiences of women who terminated infertility treatment: Focusing on the termination of treatment

Abstract

Objective
This study sought to describe the experiences of women terminating infertility treatment and to ascertain the significance the women attributed to those experiences.
Subjects and methods
This study was a study of the life stories of women who decided to terminate infertility treatment; these women were asked to narrate their experiences, which were then interpreted from their perspective. Study participants were four women who underwent assisted reproductive technology in the past and who have now terminated their infertility treatment. When gathering data, researchers encouraged the women to talk openly about their personal experiences from the time they began to consider infertility treatment up until the time they decided to terminate the treatment and to talk about their thoughts and feelings at various stages during this period. Consideration was given to making a connection between particular events and thoughts and feelings at that time in order to analyze the experiences of the four women and discern their individual stories.
Results
Participant A became pregnant for the first time in her 10th year of treatment but suffered a miscarriage. Although the miscarriage did not require curettage, the experience eroded her self-confidence. Participant A felt conflicted, not wanting to give up on having a baby but also plagued by doubts as to whether she would ever be able to conceive. Having tried so hard, Participant A felt as if she had reached the end of treatment, and she declared that this round of treatment would be her last. Suffering menstrual irregularities and uterine pain, Participant B sensed that she was too old to have a child. Since she was undergoing infertility treatment more for her mother and husband than for herself, she was unable to verbally express her desire to terminate that treatment. At her husband's encouraging, she finally decided to ease her burden and terminate treatment. Like Participant B, Participant C was encouraged by her husband to terminate treatment. After terminating treatment, however, Participant C felt a substantial sense of loss and had regrets about giving up on treatment. She had an abrupt change of heart and decided to become a foster parent. Having suffered repeated miscarriages of indeterminate cause and repeatedly undergoing curettage, Participant D felt physically overwhelmed and decided to terminate treatment.
Conclusion
Study participants became aware of the limits of their own ability to conceive and realized that some problems were not amenable even to advanced technology. Participants also wished to be accepted as they were despite their fault or flaw of not being able to have a baby. With such approval of others, participants were able to accept themselves for who they were and seek to terminate treatment.