infertility nursing assignment help

infertility nursing assignment help

Infertility Nursing: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Infertility Nursing

Originally limited to diagnoses and treatment of couples who could be diagnosed with a distinct cause for their infertility, but nursing care has now expanded its horizons to address care for those with unexplained infertility as well as diagnosis, treatment, and support for those seeking assisted reproduction. Reproductive anatomy and physiology are complex and require research and practice to develop the expertise needed. The recent advances in reproductive care, technology, and reimbursement for related services have contributed to the development of a new nursing specialty, one focused on the care of the infertile couple. Infertility nursing is a relatively new specialty that has been created to provide care for a special patient population, that of those seeking help with diagnosing and treating infertility. In 1980, the first successful in vitro fertilization cycle resulted in the birth of the first IVF baby in the United States and a new era in medicine and nursing was born. Since that time, advances have been made in the care of infertile couples, from the development of new drugs used to induce ovulation and the creation of assisted reproductive technologies to the mapping of the human genome. Interventions seek to take into consideration men’s and women’s reproductive systems, procedures, and risks of treatment, and appropriate and effective prevention and treatment options. It is imperative for nurses to take the lead in the healthcare of infertile couples.

2. Causes and Diagnosis of Infertility

Infertility can be caused by a variety of factors, from many different origins. Male infertility is often related to abnormalities in sperm production or function, conditions related to the testes, or a man’s ability to ejaculate. According to our andrologist at the Turek Clinic, Dr. Philip Werthman, around 50% of male infertility cases relate to varicocele, a condition in which the veins on a man’s testicles are too large, causing the testicles to overheat. This can change the sperm production or movement and the number and shape of the sperm. Other common causes of male infertility include abnormal sperm production, undescended testicles, and genetic diseases, to name a few. On the other hand, female infertility is most commonly the result of issues with ovulation. Ovulation problems can be caused by a variety of factors, from very serious medical conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or Premature Ovarian Failure to the body’s natural aging process. Additionally, a woman’s reproductive system can be affected by many common lifestyle factors such as smoking, eating disorders, or sexually transmitted infections. By understanding the underlying causes of infertility, healthcare professionals can determine the most effective interventions to help a person conceive. In order to diagnose these infertility conditions, healthcare professionals can use a variety of tests. For instance, menstrual and ovulation patterns can be diagnostic of many ovulation problems, and conditions can be diagnosed through the analysis of basal body temperature charts, ovulation predictor kits, and hormone testing. If a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged, she will most likely need a laparoscopy, which utilizes a thin viewing tube inserted through an incision in the belly button to examine the outside of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Many healthcare professionals also recommend genetic testing to help diagnose male infertility, such as a karyotype analysis to find genetic abnormalities or deletions in the DNA code. Such diagnoses help to direct certain well-defined treatments, like intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. All of these tests seek to provide the most information possible to help infertility patients access the care they need.

3. Nursing Interventions for Infertility Patients

While many components of infertility nursing focus on the medical application of fertility treatments and medicines, these ground-breaking forms of treatment have been practiced and have led to the emergence of nursing interventions. More nurses are becoming actively involved in substantiating reproductive services and in vitro fertilization. There is no prerequisite or state to undergo such fertility treatment. First and foremost, patient teaching is one of the most important nursing interventions. The nurse must plan the teaching sessions based upon the stage of the treatment. Over the last few decades, high-tech fertility treatments and reproductive technologies have become more popular. These technologies are available, including induced methodologies such as in vitro fertilization, intracellular sperm infusion, and gamete intrafallopian transfer, which is also known as gift. Numerous discoveries are continually being made in this field of medicine. All the preparation and hard work lead into this moment of intervention. The nurse’s role is to support and prepare the patient for any potential outcomes. These potential outcomes are program hasty, embryo transfer, or the use of the donor. If the patients will end up having an embryo transfer, there are many things that need to be done. Some of these pre-intervention routines include patient teaching, obtaining a semen specimen from the partner, or canister instruction and protocol review.

4. Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Their Role in Infertility Treatment

In the United States, one in every 10 couples experiences infertility. In fact, infertility is not just a local health issue; it is a global phenomenon. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes infertility as a global reproductive health problem, and its impact is both personal and social. According to WHO estimates, 60 to 80 million couples worldwide are affected by infertility. Within that broad patient population, the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), has become increasingly common. As infertility rates rise, these technologies have gained widespread use and popularity among patients and providers alike. ARTs are a group of procedures that involve the in vitro handling of both human oocytes and sperm or of embryos for the purpose of establishing a pregnancy. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most well-known form of ART. In IVF, an egg is fertilized with sperm outside the body, in vitro, and the embryo is cultured for a few days before it is transferred into the uterus. This method is particularly useful for women with damaged fallopian tubes or infertility of unknown origin. On the other hand, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves the transfer of eggs and sperm into the woman’s fallopian tube, so that fertilization occurs in the patient’s body. However, GIFT is not as common as IVF because it requires a functioning fallopian tube. In the United States, successful IVF treatment is largely dependent on the recipient’s age. According to the Center for Disease Control’s national summary data, the percentage of transfers that resulted in live births during 2016 was highest for patients under 35 years old, at approximately 40%. The national average for live births per transfer was about 30%. The chances of live births decreased significantly as the patient’s age increased. For instance, patients aged 35 to 37 had a 32% success rate, while patients aged 38 to 40 had a 22% success rate. Patients aged 41 to 42 and those over 42 had only 12% and 3% success rates, respectively. From a nursing standpoint, it is important to be well-versed in these various types of ARTs, their physical and emotional tolls on patients, and the specifics of how each one is carried out from a procedural perspective. In addition to understanding the science and mechanics of each method, it is essential for nurses to be able to clearly explain these complex procedures to patients in a way that is both comprehendible and compassionate. For instance, from the moment that patients begin taking fertility drugs to the morning of the embryo transfer, nurses must ensure that patients understand and emotionally prepare for the egg retrieval process. Not only can nurses demystify this sometimes daunting process with comprehensive patient education, but they can also use their skills in emotional support and patient rapport to make patients feel more at ease. Both emotional support for patients and its critical role in nursing practice are discussed in greater detail in a later section of this book.

5. Emotional Support and Counseling for Infertility Patients

As the infertility experience is accompanied by a tremendous amount of various emotions, it becomes important for the nurse to assist patients in recognizing (and ultimately healing from) the emotional impact of infertility. In most cases, the diagnosis of infertility often comes as the single most upsetting experience that the patients have ever had until that time. Finally, they have been able to put a name to the slight unproductive ache that made them acquainted with the possibility of infertility. It will not take long for efforts to control emotions because of the biological strain and self-accusation. However, in the majority of cases in which this occurs, infertility still remains just a diagnosis. But the long and unpredictable course of infertility investigations and treatments confronts them with many occasions in which such an anticipatory grief for the possible future will be activated. At any particular moment, patients may find themselves facing the assault upon their emotional equilibrium which is as intense as it was at the time of the original diagnosis. The availability of psychological interventions needs to be recommended by patients with the problem of drug or alcohol abuse or any identifiable psychiatric illness. Such interventions include cognitive-behavioral therapy, particular medications, and group work, all of which provide specific sorts of emotional progressions in line with their purpose. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is currently acclaimed to be the “gold standard” of psychological interventions, and many patients prefer it because this type of therapy does not focus upon their emotional experiences for long and continues to progress. It is a supportive state of affairs that is not permanently suspending the possibility of conception. It is based upon the recognition of infertility as an example of a situation in which one has to postpone the emotional satisfaction of a genuine natural desire. The deep wish for a child, which is rooted within the individual, is itself subject to a variety of emotional progressions. Not every patient who experiences infertility will undergo every step, nor do such progressions occur in any particular order. However, the experiential elements of each progression are recognizable and easily described. Infertility nurses and other healthcare professionals require a strong sense of awareness and recognition for these progressions so that they may identify patients who are emotionally-postponed in unhealthy. Good observational skills, compassionate and time are crucial, and it is only by forming an emotional partnership with patients that lead to the overall betterment of the tensions. Such an approach is predicated upon the realization that it is precisely the deep emotional-rooted nature of a wish for a child that gives rise to the range of ongoing emotional suspensions. Interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy should not be recommended. The doctor has been presented with a similar case and agrees for the investigations that need to follow up, ensuring also that the patient has been informed of his or her rights in respect of the choice of and consent to medical treatment. Couples or individuals experiencing infertility are encouraged to seek complete medical, emotional, and physical investigation with the most modern techniques points towards the vicious cycle of “conception” and the very fact “life has to continue” help to break this cycle. However, medical treatments for infertility lack the ability to prove most beneficial as it leads us to just a slight step of having a baby. The doubts about the emotional preparedness for the parents because of the possible future health of the baby after birth should be resolved. On the one hand, patients may find that work aiding the inevitability of uncompromised emotional progressions will result in successful conception with such treatments and secondly, if they wish to refuse those treatments, the question of how best to define this option and to sustain emotional health will pose.