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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 8
Gynecology & Obstetrics
ISSN: 2161-0932
Gynecology 2018
October 08-10, 2018
October 08-10, 2018 | Zurich, Switzerland
5
th
International Conference on
Gynecology and Obstetrics
A retrospective survey of counselling effects on stress and anxiety in women undergoing IVF in
Singapore
Tanja S Faessler-Moro, Sharon M.C. Lim
and
Maria L. Syjuco
CRG Counselling Research Group, Singapore
I
n our centre, women undergoing ART follow the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) antagonist protocol for ovarian stimulation.
They receive a human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) trigger followed by egg retrieval 36 hours later. Eggs are fertilized
by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) then cultured for five days. Viable blastocysts are frozen. Single blastocysts are
transferred via frozen embryo transfer (FET). Women who have difficulty conceiving and continuing a pregnancy experience
a range of negative thoughts and emotions, ranging from self-blame, fear of failure and low mood, to somatization or
reproductive trauma. They may have marital problems and difficulty balancing work with the demands of the IVF process.
Generally in Asia, there is little professional psychological and emotional support offered to such women on their fertility
journeys, despite evidence that promoting psychological well-being may build equanimity and compliance, and contribute
to the probability of success in ART. In our clinic, patients who undergo ART routinely receive fertility counselling at two
time periods when women have reported that they experience the most stress and anticipatory anxiety: just before embarking
on ovarian stimulation, and the period between just prior to the FET and the pregnancy test. Some will elect to have further
counselling sessions to address specific psychological and emotional issues. We will report the results of a retrospective survey
conducted on women who underwent counselling at our clinic during 2017.
Biography
Tanja S. Faessler-Moro is the founder of coachingconnectz, the first provider of specialized fertility coaching and counselling in Southeast Asia. She holds an executive
master degree in IOP from Baruch College/City University of New York, and has contributed to two books on the topics of miscarriage, stillbirth and stress whilst on a
fertility journey. She is currently co-developing a psychological intervention with special focus on the effect of stress in Asian women undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
tanja.faessler@counsellingconnectz.comTanja S Faessler-Moro et al., Gynecol Obstet 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0932-C4-033