ASRM:Press Release

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Contact: Sean Tipton, 415-978-3704, stipton@asrm-dc.org or Eleanor Nicoll, 415-978-3705, enicoll@asrm-dc.org. They can be reached at the onsite ASRM Press Office in the afternoon Sunday, November 9 until Wednesday, November 12, 5:30 pm Pacific Time.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 64th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Assisted Reproduction Triggers Complex Feelings in Patient and their Physicians

San Francisco, California – Research presented today at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) sheds insight into the complicated psychology of assisted reproduction.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, with financial support of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, interviewed over 200 men and women with embryos in frozen storage about their decisions regarding those embryos. It was found the couples tended to make decisions in a logical sequence, with the answering of one question opening the door for the next one. Specifically, first they answered the question, “Would the embryo be used for additional attempts at conception?” Then, the question, “Will the embryos remain in storage?” and finally, “Will the embryos be destroyed or donated?” The researchers conclude that detailed information and counseling are necessary assist couples in making these decisions.

A team of mental health and fertility experts at UCSF used extensive interviews with infertility patients to examine their mental models for decision making about their infertility. They found the overwhelming majority (72%) fit into a “completer” category of patients who made decisions about their treatment plans early on and left nothing to be decided. “Contemplators” (13%) of the sample, had no decisions – and 16% were somewhere in between. This is the initial reporting of what is to be a longitudinal study of these patients as they complete their treatment.

ART health care providers also have complex decision making processes regarding their role in what can be non-conventional family building. A multi-disciplinary team with Reproductive Medical Associates in New Jersey set to explore the feelings of their colleagues across the country. Collecting survey instruments from professionals attending ART conferences, the team found that there were often conflicting feelings among health care providers regarding the services they offered. For example, many subjects expressed potential discomfort with assisting potential parents over age 50.

A team from UCSF interviewed physicians providing sex selection services and primary care physicians on the issue of using medical technology for sex selection. Perhaps not surprisingly, they found that they had markedly different perceptions regarding the ethics of the procedure. One of the key dimensions in the discussion of this procedure is the value of patient autonomy. Physicians who chose to provide sex selection techniques said that their non-judgmental respect for patients’ reproductive rights was an important criterion. The investigators found that primary care physicians “often felt conflicted between their commitment to patient autonomy and their own personal reservations about sex selection.”

O-23 Nachtigall et al – The Disposition Decision: How couples who have undergone IVF decide what to do with surplus frozen embryos
O-24 Millstein et al – Mental models of treatment decisions in women considering assisted reproductive technologies
O-25 Puri et al – Physician perspectives on the ethics of sex selection
O-119 Braverman et al – Measuring the YUCK factor in ART

Note: All information is embargoed until the time of presentation at the meeting, unless otherwise indicated.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, founded in 1944, is an organization of more than 8,000 physicians, researchers, nurses, technicians and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive biology. Affiliated societies include the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 64th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE Assisted Reproduction Triggers Complex Feelings in Patient and their Physicians

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 64th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Assisted Reproduction Triggers Complex Feelings in Patient and their Physicians