Experiences of Decision-Making and Identity Work Among Women Following Unsuccessful Assisted Reproductive Treatment: A Phenomenological Study.
- 1Nursing Department, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the life adjustments, psychological experiences, and future decision-making processes of patients more than a year after assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment failure, detailing their life trajectories.Methods
A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted at a tertiary reproductive medical center in Hangzhou, China. Women who had undergone unsuccessful ART treatment and discontinued it between October 2022 and October 2024 were purposively sampled; all had not received further ART treatment for at least 12 months at the time of the interview. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face or via video call between January and April 2026 until informational saturation was reached. Topics covered in the interviews included post-failure life changes, emotional experiences and subsequent decision-making. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step phenomenological method. Trustworthiness was established through strategies that ensured credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability.Results
Four interrelated themes emerged: (1) navigating the decision to discontinue treatment, (2) evaluating and selecting post-treatment pathways, (3) implementing and adjusting to the chosen pathway, and (4) reconstructing identity and life beyond the patient role. Six distinct post-treatment trajectories were identified: relinquishing parenthood; alternative routes to parenthood; social parenting; natural conception; marital dissolution; and a suspended state. These trajectories revealed significant individual variations and dynamic psychosocial adaptations over time.Conclusions
It is evident that women have demonstrated significant agency in rebuilding their lives through decision-making and identity adjustment more than one year after the failure of ART. It is imperative to transcend the conventional binary success or failure narratives when striving to develop comprehensive continuity-of-care services within the domain of reproductive nursing practice. The findings emphasize the necessity for reproductive nurses to establish long-term, trajectory-stratified follow-up mechanisms that identify specific psychological needs and provide layered psychosocial support.
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BibTeX
@article{wei2026experiences,
title = {{Experiences of Decision-Making and Identity Work Among Women Following Unsuccessful Assisted Reproductive Treatment: A Phenomenological Study.}},
author = {Qun Wei and Xinyi Yang and Yu He and Aike Xu and Xia Hong and Chen Zhang and Zilian Wang},
journal = {International journal of women's health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ijwh.s648432},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968807},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Experiences of Decision-Making and Identity Work Among Women Following Unsuccessful Assisted Reproductive Treatment: A Phenomenological Study.
AU - Qun Wei
AU - Xinyi Yang
AU - Yu He
AU - Aike Xu
AU - Xia Hong
AU - Chen Zhang
AU - Zilian Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - International journal of women's health
DO - 10.2147/ijwh.s648432
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968807
AB - Purpose This study investigates the life adjustments, psychological experiences, and future decision-making processes of patients more than a year after assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment failure, detailing their life trajectories.Methods A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted at a tertiary reproductive medical center in Hangzhou, China. Women who had undergone unsuccessful ART treatment and discontinued it between October 2022 and October 2024 were purposively sampled; all had not received further ART treatment for at least 12 months at the time of the interview. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face or via video call between January and April 2026 until informational saturation was reached. Topics covered in the interviews included post-failure life changes, emotional experiences and subsequent decision-making. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step phenomenological method. Trustworthiness was established through strategies that ensured credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability.Results Four interrelated themes emerged: (1) navigating the decision to discontinue treatment, (2) evaluating and selecting post-treatment pathways, (3) implementing and adjusting to the chosen pathway, and (4) reconstructing identity and life beyond the patient role. Six distinct post-treatment trajectories were identified: relinquishing parenthood; alternative routes to parenthood; social parenting; natural conception; marital dissolution; and a suspended state. These trajectories revealed significant individual variations and dynamic psychosocial adaptations over time.Conclusions It is evident that women have demonstrated significant agency in rebuilding their lives through decision-making and identity adjustment more than one year after the failure of ART. It is imperative to transcend the conventional binary success or failure narratives when striving to develop comprehensive continuity-of-care services within the domain of reproductive nursing practice. The findings emphasize the necessity for reproductive nurses to establish long-term, trajectory-stratified follow-up mechanisms that identify specific psychological needs and provide layered psychosocial support.
SN - 1179-1411
ER -