Fertility preservation in women with cystic fibrosis pre-lung transplantation: A mixed methods study.
Sigrid Ladores, Caitlin Marley Campbell, Leigh Ann Bray and 4 others
PMID 34806231WHAT IT FOUND
Women with cystic fibrosis reported little fertility-preservation knowledge, and 74% had never discussed it with providers.
They wanted CF teams to start routine counselling and give resources.
Key findings
01On a 10 to 40 self-assessed scale, mean fertility-preservation knowledge was 20.86, and 74% reported never having had fertility-preservation conversations with healthcare providers.
02Eighteen of 20 interview participants reported lacking fertility-preservation knowledge and sought information from other women with cystic fibrosis, mainly through social media.
03Nineteen women wanted the CF care team to provide fertility resources, including adding a women's health provider to the team, and thirteen women wanted the team to initiate regular fertility and fertility-preservation discussions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only women in the United States were recruited, so the findings may not apply to other countries. Snowball sampling recruited women willing to participate, so the views may not represent all women with cystic fibrosis. The study was descriptive and pilot-like; it did not test whether fertility-preservation counselling improves knowledge, family planning, or transplant outcomes. Six of 56 eligible women did not complete the survey, and the study could not confirm why they stopped.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest. Funding is not stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a fertility-preservation counselling model improves fertility or transplant outcomes. This study describes knowledge, experiences and preferences, not a tested intervention effect.