Samira Ebrahimzadeh Zagami
1 
, Robab Latifnejad Roudsari
1,2* , Roksana Janghorban
3 , Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi Bazaz
4 , Maliheh Amirian
5 , Helen T Allan
6 1 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2 Research Center for Patient Safety, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
3 Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
6 Department of Adult Child and Midwifery, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University, London, UK
Abstract
Introduction: Infertility is a major medical issue. Investigations and treatment of infertility are the beginning of a complex, time-consuming and stressful process for couples that may fail well. The present study explored the needs of infertile couples following treatment failure with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in an Iranian infertility center, in the Northeast of the country between April 2016 and June 2017. The researchers recruited 29 individuals including 9 couples, 9 women and two men with primary infertility through purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed iteratively, using conventional content analysis with MAXQDA software. Results: The main concepts obtained from the data were classified into one theme titled: ""The need for support"" and four main categories along with their subcategories, and included the need for psychological support, the need for more useful information, the need for social support and the need to access to supplementary services. Conclusion: The findings show that following treatment failure, the infertile patients’ expressed needs and preferences were not met. Identifying and meeting their needs may help the infertile couples to deal with ARTs failure and to reach a decision about future treatment.