Perceived support and counselling needs in relation to in vitro fertilization

This paper reports findings from a study investigating perceived support and desire for support in a sample of 101 men and 117 women who were consecutive referrals to an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic. Both men and women perceived their partners as providing the most support and there were only small gender differences in the extent to which other people were perceived as supportive. There were also only modest gender differences in the types of support participants felt to be desirable and both men and women felt that support would be most desirable after a failed IVF cycle. Both men and women also felt that a routinely provided information booklet about the practical aspects of IVF would improve knowledge of and passage through an IVF cycle. There was a tendency for women who expressed a desire for some form of counselling or support to obtain higher General Health Questionnaire scores. Implications of the results for counselling provision are discussed.