The effect of interventions based on the hypnofertility philosophy on fertility preparedness, cortisol levels and pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing i̇n vitro fertilization

Objective: The study had two objectives as it had two stages: 1) To develop the Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment, 2) To determine the effect of interventions based on Hypnofertility on fertility preparedness, cortisol levels and pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization treatment. Method: In the first stage that was methodological type, 230 women who had been treated for fertility were applied a draft form of Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment. In the second stage that was randomized controlled trial, 30 women for intervention group and 31 women for control group were included in the study. Interventions based on Hypnofertility were applied to the intervention group from the first day of treatment to the day of pregnancy test. Fertility preparedness with Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment for three times, cortisol levels with salivary sample for four times were evaluated for both groups and pregnancy test results were recorded. Results: In the first stage, Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment consisted of three sub-dimensions "Hope and Awareness", "Positive Feelings and Thoughts", and "Prepared Body and Brain". The Cronbach alpha of the scale was .84. In the second stage, it was observed that the interventions based on the Hypnofertility decreased the cortisol levels of the women in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = .00). There was no significant difference between the fertility preparedness mean scores (p = .17) and pregnancy outcomes (p = .75) in the intervention group and control group. Conclusion: Fertility Preparedness Scale for Women Receiving Fertility Treatment is a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating fertility preparedness in Turkish culture. Interventions based on the Hypnofertility applied in the second stage reduce the cortisol levels of women and do not affect fertility preparedness and pregnancy outcomes. Key Words: Hypnofertility, Fertility Preparedness, Cortisol Level, Pregnancy Outcome.