In vitro fertilisation (IVF) can be an emotional rollercoaster and there are currently no resources that support patients and their partners across an IVF cycle. We’d like to change that. Our study will track changes in coping, social support and mood, across an IVF cycle. We’ll then use these findings to develop an online coping and support intervention for patients and information resources for partners and families.
What’s involved?
Completing short surveys about your feelings and coping strategies every second day of your cycle (about 2 hours in total)
Who can be involved?
Women aged over 18, fluent in English and planning to start an IVF cycle in the next 2 months
Why participate?
You will contribute to positive change for women and their families undergoing IVF, also every participant receives a $50 gift voucher.
Dr Katrina Moss, Chief Investigator, The University of Queensland
Dr Moss is a registered psychologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre (AWaGHR), The University of Queensland. She is both a patient and a researcher – she has done 13 cycles of IVF and has a first-hand understanding of the ups and downs. On the research side, she conducted her PhD on stress and coping, and has expertise in integrating medical and psychosocial care, perinatal maternal mental health, and use of assisted reproductive technology by women with reproductive issues.
View further information on Dr Moss
Professor Gita Mishra, Associate Investigator, The University of Queensland
Professor Mishra leads the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre (AWaGHR). She is internationally recognised for expertise in women’s health, health policy and research translation, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
View further information on Professor Mishra
Dr Hayden Homer, Clinical Investigator, The University of Queensland
Dr Homer is a fertility specialist, reproductive endocrinologist, gynecologist and leading fertility researcher. He holds the position of Chair in Reproductive Medicine at The University of Queensland.
Dr Karin Hammarberg, Clinical Investigator, Monash University
Dr Hammarberg is a registered nurse and has more than 20 years experience working with IVF patients. She works with the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority on translating health information into accessible patient resources.
Professor Jacky Boivin, Clinical Investigator, Cardiff University
Professor Boivin is a health psychologist who leads the Cardiff Fertility Studies research group, her work focuses on the psychological aspects of fertility and development of online intervention and coping resources.
Dr Jane Fox, Project Coordinator
Dr Fox has extensive experience managing and coordinating clinical research in obstetrics, maternal fetal medicine and neonatology.
What is this research about?
Doing IVF treatment can be an emotional rollercoaster. We’d like to design an intervention to support women through IVF, but first we need to know: does coping and social support change across an IVF cycle, and would it help if they did? With the help of patients doing IVF, we’re going to measure coping, social support and mood across an IVF cycle to understand how they change and identify where and how we can intervene to support people.
What will I need to do?
If you agree to participate you will complete a series of online surveys throughout your treatment cycle (see the diagram). This involves:
- Short surveys that start on Day 1 of your cycle and then every second day until after your pregnancy test. Short surveys take about 5 minutes to complete.
- Long surveys at key points: recruitment, during the two week wait for a pregnancy test and after the pregnancy test. Long surveys take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Treatment burden assessment at key points: before egg pickup, at embryo transfer, and during the two week wait. These surveys take approximately 5 minutes to complete.
You might be wondering why there are so many surveys – it’s because the ups and downs in IVF can happen quite quickly, and each part of the treatment cycle is different. We need to understand what people are experiencing at every part of the cycle so we can build our intervention around this.
We are incredibly grateful to the women who agree to take part in this research. As an acknowledgement of that thanks and as a reimbursement for the time taken, every participant who completes at least 50% of the surveys will receive a $50 gift voucher at the end of the study.
One in six Australian couples experience infertility. Up to 75% of patients will report anxiety or depression during fertility treatment, but less than 20% will receive mental health support.
Australia has one of the highest in vitro fertilization cycle (IVF) rates in the world and demand is expected to increase another third by 2026. The current care model does not provide reliable psychosocial support to patients and their families undergoing IVF.
This research study will contribute new evidence on how coping, social support and mood change across an IVF cycle. Findings from this study will be used to develop an online coping intervention for patients and information resources for partners and families. The aim of this study is to support and improve mental health outcomes for IVF patients.
This research study aims to reduce the psychosocial burden of IVF and improve outcomes for patients through two phases:
- Findings from the study will help to provide an understanding of how a patient’s coping, social support and mood, change across an IVF cycle, andto identify risk and protective factors.
- These findings will contribute to the design of an online evidence-based consumer-informed coping intervention and online resources for partners and families.
Want to be a part of it?
If you are a Fertility Clinic, Specialist, Nurse, Counsellor, Psychologist, General Practitioner or other health care provider with patients undergoing IVF, and you would like more information or to be part of this project, please contact the research team at ivfstudy@uq.edu.au or on 0447 863 147.
Get involved!
Request some free posters for your clinic and consult room:
This study is guided by a Consumer Advisory Group, we gratefully acknowledge their contribution of time and recommendations.
The Consumer Advisory Group liaises with researchers to give insight and feedback on the design of the study and data collection methods, the online evidence-based coping intervention and online resources for partners and families.
If you or your loved one has been through IVF and you would like more information or to be involved in the Consumer Advisory Group, please contact the research team at ivfstudy@uq.edu.au.
Want to be a part of it?
0447 863 147 ivfstudy@uq.edu.au Complete expression of interest