Research Article
“I couldn't think that far”: Infertile women's decision making about multifetal reduction
Kate Sullivan Collopy,
Corresponding Author
Kate Sullivan Collopy
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Assistant Professor.
Department of Nursing, University of New Hampshire, 257 Hewitt Hall, Durham, NH 03824.Search for more papers by this authorKate Sullivan Collopy,
Corresponding Author
Kate Sullivan Collopy
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Assistant Professor.
Department of Nursing, University of New Hampshire, 257 Hewitt Hall, Durham, NH 03824.Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
In this phenomenological study women's experiences regarding their decisions to undergo or forgo multifetal reduction of their higher-order multiple pregnancies were explored. Seven women who had conceived higher-order multiple pregnancies as the result of in vitro fertilization were interviewed. Four participants accepted reduction, whereas three participants declined. Three themes were discerned: (a) the presence of infertility as a barrier to contemplating hyperfertility; (b) multiple-birth pregnancy as yet another form of loss for infertile women; and (c) the lasting effects of having made the decision. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:75–86, 2004
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