Qualitative Study on Gender, Sexuality, and Marital Relationship in Narratives of Couples who Experienced Infertile Treatment

本研究旨在探讨不孕症患者接受治疗后的性别意识、性行为及夫妻关系。本研究以12位不孕妇女及3对夫妇为研究对象，透过访谈记录及重要陈述与意义的识别，将受访者对访谈的回应分类。通过分析和整合数据，最终确定了10个主题，这些主题来自于通过不孕治疗怀孕并生育孩子的妇女的经历。此外，从数据中得出了四个关键概念：想要孩子，性交的意义和目的，不孕症治疗赋予妇女的控制作用，以及不孕症治疗对女性身体造成的风险。这四个概念描绘了接受不孕症治疗的丈夫和妻子之间关系的模型。这项研究的结果提供了一个框架，以提高人们对不孕症治疗和支持性咨询的基本组成部分，无论不孕症的结果如何。

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to investigate the gender consciousness, sexuality and the relationship in couples who experienced infertility treatment. A purposive sample of 12 infertile women and 3 couples participated in the study.Participant responses to interviews were categorized by examining the interview transcript and identifying significant statements and meanings. Themes and concepts which emerged from the statements were then ascertained and cross-case comparisons were made in order to confirm or to reconsider these themes.From the result of analysis, and integration of data, 10 main themes eventually from experiences of the women who became pregnant through infertility treatment and bore children were identified. Furthermore, four key concepts emerged from the data : desiring a child, the meaning and the purpose of sexual intercourse, the control role given to a women by infertility treatment, and the risk to the female body caused by infertility treatment.These four concepts drew the model illustrating the relation of husbands and wives who have received infertility treatment.The findings from this study provided a framework for increased awareness of infertility treatment and for the essential components of supportive counseling, regardless of the outcome of the infertility experience.