不妊治療の終結を考えながらそれでも受療し続ける女性の思い

Thoughts of Women Considering Terminating Infertility Treatment as They Continue to Undergo that Treatment

目的

　本研究の目的は、不妊症患者が治療の終結を考えながら、それでも決断できずに治療を継続する思いを具体的に明らかにすることである。

対象と方法

　研究参加者は不妊治療を終結している女性4名で、不妊治療を考え始めた時から終結において、どのような出来事があり、その時どのような思いや考えがあったのかを自由に語ってもらった。分析はまず逐語録から一つのまとまりのあるエピソードを抽出し、時系列に並べストーリーを導き出した。次に終結を考えながら治療を継続した参加者の思いはどのようなものかという視点で分析をし、内容の類似性や異質性に基づき類型化した。

結果

　不妊症患者は長期間治療のプロセスを繰り返すことによって、治療を継続することが当然であるように慣れていき、また今まで費やしてきたものに見合う成果や証が何も残らないことが悔しく、代償を手にしないと気が済まないという思いに至っていた。さらに、わずかな妊娠の可能性がある限り、その望みを自ら放棄することはできないと考えていた。このような心理状態によって、たとえ生殖機能の衰えを自覚していても終結は困難であり、逆に治療へと駆り立てられていた。

結論

　看護者は定期的に現在の状態や妊娠の見込みを不妊症患者へ示すとともに、女性が自由に意思決定できるようにリプロダクティブ・ヘルス/ライツの概念を社会へ向け発信していく必要があると示唆された。

Purpose

　To clearly define the thoughts of infertile women who are considering terminating infertility treatment as they continue to undergo that treatment.

Methods

　Study participants were 4 women who terminated infertility treatment. The women were encouraged talk openly about their personal experiences from the start to the termination of infertility treatment. For analysis, transcripts were first compiled and specific scenes were then identified, arranged in chronological order, and the women's life stories were elicited. Next, women's thoughts as they considered terminating infertility treatment were analyzed in regard to what type of thoughts the women had. These thoughts were categorized based on similarities and differences in types of thoughts.

Results

　Participants were hesitant to concede that they had no chance of conceiving. Their thoughts also ran a wide gamut: while they were loathe to give up continuing treatment since they had invested so much in infertility treatment and felt as if all their hard work had come to nothing, they also felt as if they could not stop treatment unless they had something to show for it. Participants felt as if they had lost the ability to bring forth life while being unable to decide how they themselves felt.

Conclusion

　Results suggested that nurses need to periodically indicate to women undergoing infertility treatment their status and prospects for conceiving. Results also suggested that society needs to be told about the concept of reproductive health＆rights so that women are free to make their own decisions.