Understanding the burden of ovarian stimulation: fertility expert and patient perceptions

This multinational, interview-based study was conducted to provide insights into participants' experiences, behaviour, attitudes and emotions towards fertility treatments. One study group comprised 185 patients who were undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF while the other comprised 170 physician and nurse fertility experts. A key study objective was to identify which aspects of ovarian-stimulation treatment contribute to the physical and psychological burden on patients. Ovarian-stimulation treatment was considered by 55% (n = 102) of patients to impact upon daily life, while 31% (n = 57) felt that daily injections limited their everyday activities. The most frequent questions from patients to physicians and nurses concerned fertility drug-related side effects, followed by concerns about how to perform their injections. More than half of patients (57%, n = 106) had concerns about the injection process. Within the fertility expert group, almost half (47%, n = 80) expressed concern about whether their patients injected themselves correctly, with 26% (n = 44) raising concerns about patient compliance. This study adds to the growing body of literature on the impact of ovarian stimulation on patients' lives and highlights areas in which improved patient education could help to reduce the psychological burden of IVF treatment.