ROLE OF NURSE IN

INFERTILITY
 DEFINITION
• Failure to conceive within a year, when a
couple is staying together and cohabiting
with an idea of having a pregnancy is
labelled as infertility. It may be primary
when there has been no conception at all
or secondary when a woman had prior
conception and now fails to conceive
 INCIDENCE
• The incidence of infertility in any community
varies between 8to 15%, through the exact
estimation of the same is difficult.
• Of the couples staying together and not using
any contraception, approximately 60%
conceive in 6months, 75%in 9 months and
80% in 1year. Another 5-10% may conceive
spontaneously in subsequent years.
 ROLE OF NURSE
• ASSESSMENT
• Assessment of the infertile couple is the initial
stage of infertility management.
• The nurse is often the first contact the
infertile couple make during their visit for
treatment.
• The nurses play a vital role in alleviating
the fear and anxiety about the various
diagnostic procedures.
• Many ART clinics offer and encourage
participation in lifestyle programmes to
address factors, such as diet, exercise and
stress.
• These sessions are usually nurse initiated
and nurse led.
• TREATMENT:
• Following assessment, the doctors come
up with a treatment plan that is
individualises for each patient.
• At this stage, the couple need to
understand clearly about the treatment
options available to them and the pros
and corns of each option
• They also need to understand their
chance of attaining pregnancy through
the treatment option offered along with
the possible side effects of their specific
treatment, and most importantly that
the treatment will be emotionally
arduous.
• The nurse plays the link between the
doctor and the couple for their
assistance, guidance and support before,
during and after the fertility treatment.
• It is important that nurses working with
infertile couples will have a strong
understanding of reproductive
endocrinology and its application
• The goal of the nurse helping the infertile
couple is to assist them through the
treatment cycle as smoothly as possible.
• The nurse also should make aware the
counsellors or psychologist of
psychological, ethical and legal issues
associated with the patients and their
needs.
• EDUCATION:
• The role of a nurse in educating the
patients includes education about the
basic male and female anatomy and
physiology and how the drugs act on
their body, including possible side
effects. This may be offered under
various settings such as:
• Face to face on an individual basis
• In a group situation, and /or
• By the provision of written notes
specific to the patients treatment
protocol.
• Fertility nurse should also educate
the couple about the self administer
medications.
• Proper knowledge of administration of
these medicines and storage conditions
for medications ,as well as the possible
side effects, should be imparted to the
couple undergoing treatment.
• PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT:
• A couple undergoing infertility treatments
are usually under stress due to a variety of
reasons. Proper emotional support and
guidance is required by the couple at this
stage.
• The nurse as a counsellor should provide
anticipatory advice and guidance about
the normal range of expectations and
responses throughout the treatment.
• When a treatment has resulted in failure,
the nurse should have an idea about
other options available and refer the
couple to relevant professionals as
necessary.
• DATA AND RESEARCH
• In the majority of the ART centres, the
nurse is responsible for the collection of
accurate data regarding treatments and
outcomes of infertility treatments.
Further roles of the fertility nurses in
reproductive medicine research have
also been anticipated and practised in
any countries.
• Other responsibilities
• Organising donor programmes
• Coordinating treatment of overseas patients,
• Coordinating perimplantation genetic diagnosis
and performing genetic counselling
• Scrubbing in operating theatres for egg retrievals
• Embryo transfer or gamete intrafallopian transfer
(GIFTS), and
• Managing other treatments related to
reproductive health.
 ROLE OF NURSE IN DIFFERENT
PROCEDURES
• One of the more positive aspects of IVF is
actually having regular contact with the
IVF nurse.
• The nurse takes the client through the
whole IVF treatment process step by
step.
• The nurse is the person who will check
blood test and ultrasound appointments.
•
• She will be the client’s first port of call if
anything goes wrong during the treatment –
like breaking a vial of medicine, like having
unusual pain when client shouldn’t.
• The nurses offer advice when unusual things
happen during the treatment process. They
will lend their ear in times of distress.
• They will recognize when client is close to
breaking point and arrange to meet with a
counsellor if need be. 
 OTHER ROLES
• As a fertility nurse:
As a fertility nurse she bears an extensive
background in the fertility industry.
Nurses have access to the information and
the latest research in a field that is
everchanging.
They can provide informed, medical, timely
support so that options and decisions are not
overwhelming.
• As a fertility coach:
 As a fertility coach, nurses utilize their experience
of coaching thousands of patients through infertility
journeys to bring the right word, the right nudge,
the right question, the right challenge.
 They’ll not so much give the answers, but listen well
and question effectively and draw out from clients
the right decisions regarding care.
 And in the process clients gain clarity, insight and
confidence.
• As a fertility consultant: 
As a fertility consultant, they advance
client’s decision-making process by
researching treatment plans, reporting
on and explaining success statistics,
investigating the best ART centers,
exploring pharmacy options, and much
more. 
• As a fertility liaison: 
As a fertility liaison, they can be client’s
connection to clinic.
They will ask the important questions
client may not know to ask.
On client’s behalf, they will explore the
intricacies of treatment options 
• As a fertility advocate:
 As a fertility advocate, they will engage
with physician and nurses on client’s
behalf, advocate decisions, desires and
constraints.
They will stand for client in the event of
problems and work on client’s behalf to
solve them successfully.
Nurse will advocate client’s wishes as
they proceed with treatments and assure
their best interest. 
• As a fertility confidant: 
As a fertility confidant, nurse always know
what is going on with client care. It is
often difficult to fully share struggles,
difficulties, setbacks and successes
because the journey client is on are a very
intimate one
People do not always understand or
empathize with client’s experience; the
end result is these clients sometimes feel
alone with nobody to confide in.
• Members of the nursing staff are
involved in initial consultation,
transvaginal ultrasound scanning,
intrauterine inseminations, and
administration of medication, sperm
preparation and pregnancy tests.
• Management of infertility includes both
the physical and emotional care of
couple
THANK YOU