Home > HCAS > HCAS_PUBS > HCAS_JOURNALS > TQR Home > TQR > Vol. 23 > No. 12 (2018)
Abstract
Infertility affects 6.7 million women in the United States (Chandra, Copen, & Stephen, 2013). Women’s experiences with infertility are not only influenced by biological health factors, but also by social, cultural, and personal variables. Given the prevalence and complexity of infertility, additional research is needed to further examine the nuances of women’s experiences. The purpose of this multicase study, as informed by four individual cases, was to explore how women construct their infertility narratives. Review of reflective journals found five common elements: (1) Emotional Rollercoaster, (2) Mind-Body (Dis)Connection, (3) Secret Identity, (4) Supportive vs. Constrained Communication Patterns, and (5) Fatalistic- vs. Agency-Oriented Coping. Increasing our understanding of the whole experience of infertility, beyond the biological diagnosis, is essential to decreasing stigma and increasing the quality of healthcare services available for women.
Keywords
Infertility, Women’s Health, Narrative, Counseling
Publication Date
12-10-2018
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3510
Recommended APA Citation
Born, S. L., Carotta, C. L., & Ramsay-Seaner, K. (2018). A Multicase Study Exploring Women’s Narratives of Infertility: Implications for Counselors. The Qualitative Report, 23(12), 2992-3003. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3510
Included in
Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Counselor Education Commons, Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Work Commons
