Determining the use of Traditional and Complementary Therapies Among Infertile Women

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the use of traditional and complementary therapies by infertile women. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional research was carried out with 270 infertile women who visited the In-vitro Fertilization Centre of a public hospital in İzmir, Turkey. Scientific ethical committee approval was obtained to conduct the research and permission was obtained from the hospital and the women participating in the research in order to conduct the research. Data were collected via a face-to-face interview in the hospital with a questionnaire developed by researchers. Results: Of the women, 98.9% had knowledge of traditional and complementary therapies and the main source of the information was friends/family (71.2%). Traditional. The use of traditional and complementary therapy in infertile women is 92.9%. Of the women, 62.1% believed that traditional and complementary therapies would be effective, and 82.3% did not disclose their traditional and complementary therapies use to the health professionals. The most common three traditional and complementary therapy methods in the study was: hip and leg elevation after sexual intercourse; consuming herbs/herbal products; and changes in daily life. Conclusions: The use of traditional and complementary therapy was found to be high in infertile women, and most of the women did not disclose traditional and complementary therapies to health professionals.