ABSTRACT
In this narrative study, we explored the meaning infertile women attribute to social support in coping with their infertility-related challenges. Written accounts and episodic interviews with 26 previously infertile Finnish women were used as data. Two different coping story types emerged: coping alone and coping with support. In the coping alone type women neither sought nor received support. Their coping appeared as a lonely struggle. In the coping with stories, women turned to their spouses, peers, or professionals, but still emphasized that they would have needed more support. Based on our findings, we underline the need for individually tailored support.
Subject(s)
Infertility, Female , Infertility , Female , Humans , Adaptation, Psychological , Social Support , Spouses , LonelinessABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To explore how women who experienced infertility and underwent fertility treatments constructed maternal identities after they successfully gave birth. DESIGN: Narrative qualitative study. SETTING: Finland, Scandinavia. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six previously infertile Finnish women who later conceived were recruited via social media, health clinics, and relevant informal support organizations. METHODS: Narrative analysis was used to process written accounts and individual episodic interviews with each of the 26 women. RESULTS: Four different identity stories emerged from the data: Fractured Maternity, Pursuing Maternity, Learning Maternity, and Discovering Maternity. Infertility, its treatment, and childbirth were narrated as turning points in the participants' life courses, but the significance of these turning points for maternal identity varied across the four stories. CONCLUSION: These findings have important implications for nursing practice. Health care professionals should be aware of the effects of previous long-standing infertility on the subsequent experience of motherhood so they can provide women with understanding, sufficient support, and appropriate interventions throughout the transition to motherhood.
