Decision regret among couples experiencing infertility: a mixed methods longitudinal cohort study.
Rachel Cusatis1, Colin Johnson2, Katherine D Schoyer3
1Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, USA. rcusatis@mcw.edu.
Reproductive Health
|November 8, 2023
Summary
Decisions about infertility treatments can lead to regret, especially for women who do not have children. Seeking any path to parenthood, including assisted reproductive technologies, can help minimize regret.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive medicine
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Infertility treatment decisions are complex and can result in regret.
- This study investigated decisional regret related to family-building choices after infertility consultations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine decisional regret in individuals and couples undergoing infertility treatment.
- To determine if regret is associated with parental role, family-building path, or outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal mixed methods study with questionnaires at initial consultation and 6 years later.
- Used the Ottawa Decision Regret Scale and qualitative reflections on family-building decisions, treatments, and costs.
- Included 79 participants (45 couples, 34 individuals) with a 76% retention rate.
Main Results:
- Half of participants reported no regret; moderate-to-severe regret was higher in women (1 in 5) than partners (1 in 7).
- Women not pursuing treatment or not adding a child to their family reported significantly higher regret.
- Regret was not associated with family-building paths or outcomes for partners. Over 25% wished they had spent less money.
Conclusions:
- Pursuing any path to parenthood can help prevent future decision regret for women.
- Enhanced psychosocial, financial, and decision support is crucial for navigating family-building with minimal regret.
Keywords:
Decision regretDecision-makingDecisional regret scaleFertility treatmentInfertilityMixed methodsMore Related Videos
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