Virtual Reality-Supported Hypnofertility

The Effect of Virtual Reality-Supported Hypnofertility on Fertility Preparedness, Stress and Coping With Stress in Women Having In Vitro Fertilization

This research was conducted to determine the effect of virtual reality-supported hypnofertility on fertility preparedness, stress and coping with stress in women having in vitro fertilization. At the end of research It has been determined that initiatives based on the hypnofertility philosophy increase the level of preparedness to fertility, decrease the stress level and provide effective coping with stress in women who had IVF treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fertilization in Vitro
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: VR Glasses

Detailed Description

It is estimated that the infertility affects 8-12% of all couples in reproductive age across the world. Various alternative methods were implemented for years for alleviating the stress which was felt by infertile women. The women in the process of infertility treatment make more efforts to be impregnated, their fertility preparedness is negatively affected and they need more psychosocial support. Upon the review of the relevant literature, it is discerned that there was a limited number of studies in which mind-body programs, namely, hypnofertility methods, were applied to the cases of infertility. In this research, in the first meeting with infertile women who would be assigned to the experimental group, the research objective was explained, and their consent to partake in the research was received in written and verbal format and pretest data were obtained. Later during in vitro fertilization, VR-supported hypnofertility treatment initiative which applied to the experimental group was implemented in four stages, namely, 'Stage 1 (the first folliculometry day)', 'Stage 2 (the second folliculometry day)', 'Stage 3 (oocyte retrieval stage)' and 'Stage 4 (embryo transfer stage)'. And posttest data were obtained at the end of last stage. Each process took 20 minutes on average. Meetings with infertile women who were assigned to the control group were held twice. In the first meeting, pretest data were collected. VR-supported hypnofertility treatment initiative was not applied to the control group, and posttest data were collected from the control group via the second meeting held on the same date as the fourth stage of treatment, namely, the day of embryo transfer. It is considered that the stress levels of women who are in the process of having IVF treatment will fall down and hence the fertility preparedness and the ability to cope with infertility stress will be positively affected by virtue of the effective use of hypnofertility method, which is still a new method in Turkey, by midwives and other health professionals.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 107
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Adıyaman, Turkey
    • Adıyaman University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having IVF treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having IVF treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: vr-supported hypnofertility; Relaxation, visualization, imagination and affirmation and techniques based on the hypnofertility philosophy were applied to women in the experimental group in four stages	Device: VR Glasses; techniques of hypnofertility and VR glasses; Other Names: techniques of hypnofertility
No Intervention: Control; Any initiative was not applied to the control group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment	The scale is used for the assessment of the levels of stress experienced by infertile couples. As a Likert-type scale, it has three sub-scales in relation to personal, marital and social domains and contains a total of 14 items. 'Stress in personal domain' sub-scale contains six items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 20 points. 'Stress in marital domain' sub-scale has four items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 14 points. 'Stress in social domain' sub-scale is comprised of four items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 12 points. A high score to be obtained from the sub-scale refers to the increase in the stress level.	Day 12
The Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility Fertility Problem Stress	The scale is used for the assessment of the levels of stress experienced by infertile couples. As a Likert-type scale, it has three sub-scales in relation to personal, marital and social domains and contains a total of 14 items. 'Stress in personal domain' sub-scale contains six items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 20 points. 'Stress in marital domain' sub-scale has four items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 14 points. 'Stress in social domain' sub-scale is comprised of four items, and the minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from it are successively 0 and 12 points. A high score to be obtained from the sub-scale refers to the increase in the stress level.	Day 12
The Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility Coping Strategy Scale	The scale contains 19 items and has four sub-scales. The minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from the sub-scale of 'active-avoidance' coping method which is comprised of four items are successively 4 and 16 points. The sub-scale of 'active-confronting' coping method contains seven items. The minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from this sub-scale are successively 7 and 26 points. The minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from the sub-scale of 'passive-avoidance' coping method which is comprised of three items are successively 3 and 12 points. The sub-scale of 'meaning-based' coping method contains five items. The minimum and maximum scores to be obtained from this sub-scale are successively 5 and 20 points. A higher score to be obtained from the subscale means that the method is used more when coping with with stress.	Day 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Adiyaman University
• Investigators: Study Director: Yeşim Aksoy Derya, Phd, Inonu University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 25, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): July 10, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): February 16, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 16, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stress; in vitro fertilization; hypnofertility
• Other Study ID Numbers: AdıyamanU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: There is no plan to make individual participant data (IPD) available to other researchers. Because the institution where the research was conducted does not allow this.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No