TY - JOUR
T1 - Preconception carrier screening in couples seeking IVF
T2 - exploring the patient perspective
AU - Frank, Celine
AU - Laeven, Claire H C
AU - Meulenbroeks, Deidre
AU - Coonen, Edith
AU - de Die-Smulders, Christine E M
AU - van Golde, Ronald J T
AU - Mallens, Lonne M
AU - Paulussen, Aimée D C
AU - Schuurmans, Juliette
AU - van Osch, Liesbeth A D M
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the level of understanding, and what are the attitudes and considerations regarding preconception carrier screening (PCS) among couples seeking IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)? DESIGN: A mixed-methods design was used. Nine interviews were conducted with couples or individual partners (n = 16) who had an initial consultation for IVF/ICSI in the 2 years preceding this study. A questionnaire was completed by 115 participants. No actual PCS was offered. RESULTS: All interviewed couples expressed a positive attitude towards PCS, and over half of the respondents stated that they would pursue or seriously consider pursuing PCS if possible. Some couples falsely believed that PCS could identify a cause for their fertility problems and increase their chance of conceiving. The desire to make an informed reproductive decision was the most important argument in favour of PCS. The primary argument against PCS was the apprehension of being confronted with reproductive dilemmas. The longer the delay to IVF/ICSI treatment required to perform PCS, the more couples would be inclined to decline screening. Participants indicated that they would prefer to receive information about PCS from a medical specialist at an early stage in their IVF/ICSI treatment. CONCLUSION: Although attitudes towards PCS were generally positive, some concerns were raised about treatment delays and potential reproductive dilemmas, and some couples had misconceptions about the purpose of screening within the context of their IVF/ICSI treatment. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring information and counselling to the specific needs of couples seeking IVF/ICSI.
AB - RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the level of understanding, and what are the attitudes and considerations regarding preconception carrier screening (PCS) among couples seeking IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)? DESIGN: A mixed-methods design was used. Nine interviews were conducted with couples or individual partners (n = 16) who had an initial consultation for IVF/ICSI in the 2 years preceding this study. A questionnaire was completed by 115 participants. No actual PCS was offered. RESULTS: All interviewed couples expressed a positive attitude towards PCS, and over half of the respondents stated that they would pursue or seriously consider pursuing PCS if possible. Some couples falsely believed that PCS could identify a cause for their fertility problems and increase their chance of conceiving. The desire to make an informed reproductive decision was the most important argument in favour of PCS. The primary argument against PCS was the apprehension of being confronted with reproductive dilemmas. The longer the delay to IVF/ICSI treatment required to perform PCS, the more couples would be inclined to decline screening. Participants indicated that they would prefer to receive information about PCS from a medical specialist at an early stage in their IVF/ICSI treatment. CONCLUSION: Although attitudes towards PCS were generally positive, some concerns were raised about treatment delays and potential reproductive dilemmas, and some couples had misconceptions about the purpose of screening within the context of their IVF/ICSI treatment. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring information and counselling to the specific needs of couples seeking IVF/ICSI.
KW - Attitude
KW - Counselling
KW - Decision-making
KW - Expanded carrier screening
KW - Medically assisted reproduction
U2 - 10.1016/j.rbmo.2024.104452
DO - 10.1016/j.rbmo.2024.104452
M3 - Article
SN - 1472-6483
VL - 50
JO - Reproductive Biomedicine Online
JF - Reproductive Biomedicine Online
IS - 1
M1 - 104452
ER -