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'It is our everyday life'. A Swiss interview-based study on care professionals’ experiences in assisting older patients to conceive with medically assisted reproduction

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Název: 'It is our everyday life'. A Swiss interview-based study on care professionals’ experiences in assisting older patients to conceive with medically assisted reproduction
Autoři: Andrea Martani, Nathalie Bettina Neeser, Kato Verghote, Christian de Geyter, Tenzin Wangmo
Zdroj: ETHIK IN DER MEDIZIN
Informace o vydavateli: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025.
Rok vydání: 2025
Témata: Ethics, Philosophy and Religion, OUTCOMES, Ethik, Reproductive techniques, Advanced parental age, WOMEN, Reproduktionsverfahren, Qualitative Interviews, Fruchtbarkeitspolitik, ESHRE TASK-FORCE, AGE, PREGNANCY, Medicine and Health Sciences, Qualitative interviews, Fertility policy, ETHICS, Fortgeschrittenes Alter der Eltern
Popis: Background Medically assisted reproduction (MAR) has expanded the chances people have to reproduce, but it has also raised a number of ethical issues on how to use these technologies. One of the most relevant doubts concerns the possibility of granting access to MAR to older aspiring parents, considering that an increasing number of people have children at an advance parental age (APA). This generates not only abstract theoretical questions, but also concrete challenges and moral doubts for care professionals in their daily work. Methods To investigate these issues, we conducted a qualitative exploratory study. After developing a semi-structured interview guide, we recruited and interviewed 15 care professionals in Switzerland working with older patients trying to conceive with MAR. Results Through applied thematic analysis and collaborative auditing, we identified relevant themes in our data. First, our participants emphasised that they often work with older patients, who are part of the everyday work for MAR professionals. We then showed that professionals perceive older patients as particularly ‘on edge’ and thus have to adjust their work accordingly. Third we investigated the specificities that interacting with older patients during MAR treatment entail, including the need to be realistic about chances but also empathetic about emotional investment. Finally, we identified the struggles of professionals in assessing their patients as potential future parents. Conclusions Our results show that professionals often perceive older patients as unaware of their advanced reproductive age, thus raising the question whether public health campaigns should better convey this message. It is also important to reflect on the struggles that professionals face in breaking bad news and balancing the desire to help older patients without fuelling false hopes. This shows the need of more widespread discussion and guidance on how to best provide care to this growing group of patients.
Druh dokumentu: Article
Popis souboru: application/pdf
Jazyk: English
ISSN: 1437-1618
0935-7335
DOI: 10.1007/s00481-025-00864-7
Přístupová URL adresa: http://doi.org/10.1007/s00481-025-00864-7
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01JWZW8WZJCXGZ2461QQAN1CT3
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01JWZW8WZJCXGZ2461QQAN1CT3
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01JWZW8WZJCXGZ2461QQAN1CT3/file/01JYK9YNP5AVQFN4Y1TFTZ79HV
Rights: CC BY
Přístupové číslo: edsair.doi.dedup.....34485d8904431aab8b57d4a018715053
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Popis
Abstrakt:Background Medically assisted reproduction (MAR) has expanded the chances people have to reproduce, but it has also raised a number of ethical issues on how to use these technologies. One of the most relevant doubts concerns the possibility of granting access to MAR to older aspiring parents, considering that an increasing number of people have children at an advance parental age (APA). This generates not only abstract theoretical questions, but also concrete challenges and moral doubts for care professionals in their daily work. Methods To investigate these issues, we conducted a qualitative exploratory study. After developing a semi-structured interview guide, we recruited and interviewed 15 care professionals in Switzerland working with older patients trying to conceive with MAR. Results Through applied thematic analysis and collaborative auditing, we identified relevant themes in our data. First, our participants emphasised that they often work with older patients, who are part of the everyday work for MAR professionals. We then showed that professionals perceive older patients as particularly ‘on edge’ and thus have to adjust their work accordingly. Third we investigated the specificities that interacting with older patients during MAR treatment entail, including the need to be realistic about chances but also empathetic about emotional investment. Finally, we identified the struggles of professionals in assessing their patients as potential future parents. Conclusions Our results show that professionals often perceive older patients as unaware of their advanced reproductive age, thus raising the question whether public health campaigns should better convey this message. It is also important to reflect on the struggles that professionals face in breaking bad news and balancing the desire to help older patients without fuelling false hopes. This shows the need of more widespread discussion and guidance on how to best provide care to this growing group of patients.
ISSN:14371618
09357335
DOI:10.1007/s00481-025-00864-7