Stress Reduction During In Vitro Fertilization

June 7, 2022 updated by: Stanford University
The goal of this study is to determine the effect of Healing Touch (HT) on the stress, anxiety, and self-efficacy experiences of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a randomized, controlled design. HT is a gentle, non-invasive form of energy-balancing work that promotes relaxation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Once enrolled, each participant will be randomized to one of three groups: the Healing Touch (HT) treatment arm, the Desensitization Therapy (DT) arm, or the no-intervention arm.

Subjects in Group 1 will receive three, 45-minute HT sessions during the first two weeks of their IVF cycle prior to oocyte retrieval. Group 2 will receive three, 45-minute DT sessions during the first two weeks of their IVF cycle prior to oocyte retrieval. Group 3 will receive no intervention. Subjects in Group 3 will be offered two HT sessions after completing study participation.

All subjects and their partners will be asked to complete the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale (ISES) at three time points: 1) baseline 2) one day prior to oocyte retrieval and 3) 5-7 days post embryo transfer. In addition, subjects in all groups will complete a short pre-study questionnaire to assess expectation of therapeutic effect, and subjects in the two intervention groups will complete a short post-study questionnaire to evaluate their treatment experience. Demographic and pregnancy outcome data will be collected for all subjects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

35

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
        • Stanford University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 42 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:-Age <43

  • FSH <= 14
  • About to enter an IVF cycle at the Stanford Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center
  • Planning a transfer of their own fresh embryos during this cycle
  • Speak and read English fluently
  • Not planning to use concomitant energy work interventions (HT, Reiki, QiGong, acupuncture)during the IVF cycle.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Healing Touch
Healing Touch (HT) is a gentle form of energy balancing work that promotes relaxation. Subjects in this arm will receive three one-hour sessions of Healing Touch during the first two weeks of their IVF cycle.
Behavioral: Healing Touch
Experimental: Desensitization Therapy
Desensitization Therapy is a quasi-desensitization procedure where subjects meet with a therapist and generate a list of stressful thoughts and a list of neutral thoughts. Subjects in this arm will receive three one-hour sessions of Desensitization Therapy during the first two weeks of their IVF cycle.
Behavioral: Desensitization Therapy
No Intervention: Standard Care
Subjects in this arm will receive no therapeutic intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Perceived Stress Scale
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days
Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days
Pregnancy outcome
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Stanford University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kathy Turner RN, NP, Stanford University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 6, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 10, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

November 11, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 9, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 7, 2022

Last Verified

June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SU-11052008-1334
  • 15402 (Stanford University IRB)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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