Abstract
Research question
What are the main research interests among patients of assisted reproductive technologies
(ART)?
Design
Cross-sectional study consisting of an anonymous online survey sent to 2112 patients
from eight centres in four countries in 2018. Patients were asked to identify research
questions relevant to them in the field of infertility and ART. Answers were categorized
into topics and ranked by frequency. A long list of the top 30 research topics was
extracted from the aggregate results, from which a short list of the top 10 research
topics was created. Ten research questions were finally formulated.
Results
A total of 945 responses were analysed. Main interests were side-effects, success
rates, infertility prevention and emotional support. The 10 research questions were:
1. What are the side-effects of drugs used in ART treatments? (51.6%). 2. What are
the most effective methods to cope with infertility from the psychological point of
view? (35.7%). 3. What effects could diet have on fertility? (25.9%). 4. What are
ART success rates per clinical profile? (24.8%). 5. Are there some habits and lifestyle
factors that could prevent infertility? (20.0%). 6. What are the long-term risks associated
with ART in mother and child? (18.5%). 7. Are alternative therapies such as acupuncture,
yoga and meditation effective to treat/prevent infertility? (18.5%). 8. What is the
impact of exercise on fertility? (15.4%). 9. How does oocyte quantity and quality
affect fertility? (9.5%). 10. What are the genetic patterns or hereditary conditions
causing/related to infertility? (9.5%).
Conclusions
Researchers and clinicians should keep in mind that, in addition to success rates
and safety, patients greatly value research into causes, prevention and emotional
aspects of infertility.
Keywords
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Biography
Désirée García obtained her PhD degree at Barcelona University in 2017 and her BSc degree in Pharmacy in 2005. She also has a Masters in Research Methodology and Statistics. In 2009, she joined Clínica EUGIN in Barcelona, where her current research focuses on reproductive medicine. She is developing investigation lines in the context of primary fertility care.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 29, 2019
Accepted:
October 23,
2019
Received in revised form:
October 17,
2019
Received:
July 19,
2019
Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
