How acupressure could influence self-efficacy of Infertile Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A Qualitative Study

Background & aim: Infertility-related stress and anxiety can negatively affect the therapeutic outcome through directly influencing the physiological functions of the body. Also, improved self-efficacy of infertile women results in greater emotional stability and more persistence in treatment. The present study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of self-efficacy in infertile women who received acupressure during in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in Milad Infertility Center, Mashhad, Iran, from September 2015 to August 2016, using conventional content analysis. The study population consisted of 30 female candidates for IVF/ICSI treatment, who had completed acupressure therapy, the data of whom were extracted from a clinical trial. Out of 30 females, 26 cases were willing to participate in the study. The data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews and analyzed in MAXQDA (version 10) software based on Elo and Kyngas approach (2008) through three phases of preparation, organization, and reporting. Results: Based on the results, two themes were obtained from the experiences of infertile women regarding the impact of acupressure on their infertility self-efficacy. These two themes included the improvement of the negative attitudes towards infertility and ability to deal with infertility treatment process. Conclusion: We argue that acupressure can improve the sense of self-efficacy in infertile women regarding their attitude toward infertility and treatment issues. Further studies are suggested on the influence of acupressure on various aspects of infertility.