Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 105, Issue 5 , Pages 404-413, 2006

Factors Related to Meaning of Life in Taiwanese Women Treated with In Vitro Fertilization

  • Tsann-Juu Su

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr. Tsann-Juu Su, School and Graduate Institute of Nursing, National Taiwan University, 1, Jen Ai Road, Section 1, Taipei 100, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Yueh-Chih Chen
  • Hsin-Fu Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Yu-Shih Yang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Yung-Tai Hung

      Affiliations

    • Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

School and Graduate Institute of Nursing, College, Taipei, Taiwan

Received 23 June 2005; received in revised form 17 August 2005; accepted 1 November 2005.

Background/Purpose

The meaning of life can be defined as a sense of a clear aim in life and a belief that one's daily activities are meaningful. Pregnancy is clearly an important aim of women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the meaning of life and its related factors among women who underwent IVF treatment throughout the first treatment cycle until either pregnancy was achieved or when the attempt was abandoned.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was performed in a single medical center in Taiwan. A total of 149 subjects were recruited from women receiving IVF (n = 69) and women who had experienced IVF failure within the previous 1 year (n = 80). These women were classified into four subgroups according to their treatment stages: beginning of first IVF (n = 39); pregnancy/delivery (n = 22); continuing treatment (n = 64); and discontinuing treatment (n = 24). The Purpose in Life (PIL) test, a previously developed instrument designed to measure meaning of life, was administered to all patients at their follow-up IVF visit.

Results

The mean PIL score was 99.1 ± 19.5, which indicated that all subjects had some degree of uncertainty regarding the meaning of life; however, no significant difference in PIL score was found among the four groups. Four factors were extracted from PIL by factor analysis, among which “existential frustration” (factor 4) was highest in the continuing group and those with a lower level of education; whereas “being in control” (factor 2) was lowest in women whose infertility had a female etiology.

Conclusion

Treatment stage, educational level, and etiology of infertility were found to be factors influencing the meaning of life in women undergoing IVF.

Key Words:  hope , infertility , meaning of life , purpose in life

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PII: S0929-6646(09)60137-6

doi:10.1016/S0929-6646(09)60137-6

Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 105, Issue 5 , Pages 404-413, 2006

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