Women’s narratives of crisis and change: Transitioning from infertility to pregnancy

This study explores ways women, who endured prolonged fertility difficulties, after which they eventually conceived, integrate the two phases within their life stories. A total of 12 women were interviewed during their first pregnancy after having experienced 2–6 years of infertility. Three types of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health psychology 2018-04, Vol.23 (5), p.720-730
Main Authors: HaCohen, Nehama, Amir, Dana, Wiseman, Hadas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Dissociation
Female
Fertility
Humans
Identity Crisis
Infertility
Infertility, Female - psychology
Life Change Events
Life history
Mothers
Narration
Narratives
Pregnancy
Pregnancy - psychology
Qualitative Research
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study explores ways women, who endured prolonged fertility difficulties, after which they eventually conceived, integrate the two phases within their life stories. A total of 12 women were interviewed during their first pregnancy after having experienced 2–6 years of infertility. Three types of narratives were identified: (1) the infertility overshadows the pregnancy and approaching motherhood, (2) the pregnancy leads to a dissociation concerning the infertile period, and (3) the two states coexist together along an integrated continuum. We suggested that the different narrative types may occur in diverse circumstances that entail integrating a crisis or prolonged illness into a constructive and meaningful life story.
ISSN:1359-1053
1461-7277
DOI:10.1177/1359105316652465