• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.225-231
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• 1991

These experiments were carried out ot detect autoantiboies to zona pellucida in sera from infertile women using indirect ELISA and IFA and to investigate their effect on in vitro fertilization of mouse ova. In inidirect ELISA test, 12 of 116(10.3%) serum samples form infertile women gave positive reaction whereas all of 16 samples from fertile women and men were negative. Furthermore, in indirect IFA test, 17 of 116 (14.7%) serum samples from infertile women gave positive fluorescence whereas all of control sera were negative fluorescence. The fertilization rates(15.9%) of mouse eggs treated with positive sera were significantly lower than those(51.9%＋71.2%) autoantibodies to zonapellucida are responsible for infertility in unexplained infertile women, presumably by perventing sperm attachment and penetration.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.171-183
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of infertile women on the use of the national support program that provides medical expense aid to infertile couples. Methods: Thirty Korean infertile women participated in five focus groups. Data were collected from January to August 2014. After obtaining permission from the participants, each session of the focus group was audio-taped and transcribed. The responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The main themes identified from the sessions with the participants were "feeling thankful for the reliable support program," "feeling happy or unhappy," "enduring inconveniences," and "hoping for a more comprehensive support service." Although most of the participants perceived the benefits of the national support service positively, they stated that the service was not comprehensive because it did not cover all the medical expenses for tests and other medical treatments. Conclusion: The benefits given to infertile couples by the program should be increased by covering all the medical expenses, expanding its criteria to include more eligible candidates, and by including special leave benefits for working women. Furthermore, it is essential to take measures for infertility prevention at the individual and national policy levels.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.96-108
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• 2018

Purpose: This study the mediating effects of marital intimacy the relationship between depression and marital satisfaction of infertile women. Methods: 165 infertile women visiting a hospital in Gyeonggi-do and Busan, Korea from January 2016 to April 2016. The data was analyzed the SPSS WIN 22.0 program. Results: Depression, marital satisfaction, and marital intimacy averaged $1.51{\pm}.32$ (range of scale 0~3), $3.50{\pm}.56$ (range of scale 1~5), and $3.74{\pm}.65$ (range of scale 1~5), respectively. Depression had a negative correlation with marital satisfaction (r=-.361, p<.001) and marital intimacy(r=-.183, p<.001). Marital intimacy also had a positive correlation with marital satisfaction (r=.637, p<.001). Marital intimacy partial mediating effects between depression and marital satisfaction (${\beta}=.591$, p<.001). Conclusion: the intimacy of couple can alleviate the causal consequences that lead to a decrease in the marital satisfaction due to depression. Therefore, healthcare providers for infertile women should screen depressed women and help support infertile women from negative values for marriage depression. In addition, it is necessary to include interventions for maintaining and enhancing the intimacy of couples during infertility treatment.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.60-72
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• 2019

Purpose: To determine effects of irrational parenthood cognition, family support, and resilience on depression in infertile women. Methods: Subjects were 118 infertile women who agreed to participate in this study. Data were collected from April 16 to July 31, 2018. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlation and multiple regression with SPSS WIN 23.0 program. Results: Depression significantly differed according to the burden of treatment cost and presence of people giving stress. Depression showed significantly positive correlation with irrational parenthood cognition and significantly negative correlations with family support and resilience. Factors affecting depression were irrational parenthood cognition, family support, and resilience. Irrational parenthood cognition had the greatest effect on depression. These three variables explained 35.8% of total variance. Conclusion: Irrational parenthood cognition, family support, and resilience affected depression of infertile women, with irrational parenthood cognition having the greatest effect. Therefore, it is important to develop and implement programs that can reduce irrational parenthood cognition and increase family support and resilience in order to lower depression of infertile women. The authors declared no conflict of interest.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 2019

Purpose: To compare reproductive health promoting behaviors (RHPBs) of infertile women with those of normal women and identify effects of RHPB on infertility. Methods: A total of 148 females (73 infertile women and 75 normal women) were enrolled in this study. Measurements included their general characteristics and RHPB using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$ test, ANCOVA, and hierarchical logistic regression using SPSS. Results: There were significant difference in incomes, number of family, number of term deliveries, and number of abortions according to infertility diagnosis. Mean duration of infertility was 32.16 months. Only 12.32% women had known cause of infertility. The most common cause of infertility was unknown. Mean RHPB score was 3.98 for infertile women and 4.41 for normal women. In logistic regression, total RHPB (odds ratio [OR], 0.21) and safe sex of RHPB (OR, 0.66) were significant factors influencing infertility. Infertile women's total RHPB and subcategories of RHPB (safe sex behavior and sexual transmitted disease [STD] prevention) were lower than those of normal women. Conclusion: For infertility women, RHPB-related intervention programs are needed, especially information about safe sex behavior and STD prevention.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among infertility stress, depression and Resilience of infertile women during infertility treatment. Methods: As a descriptive study, we surveyed 129 infertile women in 1 fertility center from November 2014 to January 2015. The data was analyzed in SPSS WIn 18.0 program. Results: Infertility stress, depression, and resilience averaged $3.23{\pm}.32$ (range of scale 1~6), $1.42{\pm}.39$ (range of scale 1~4), and $3.45{\pm}.35$ (range of scale 1~5), respectively. There was significant difference in infertility stress by job, abortion experience after pregnancy with infertility treatments, anxiety of high risk pregnancy, burden of pregnancy, important of having child. There was significant difference in depression by job, Economy burden on infertility treatment, burden of pregnancy. Infertility stress had a positive correlation with depression (r=.192. p<.029) Resilience had a negative correlation with depression (r=-.349. p<.001). Conclusion: It is necessary to provide infertile women with the counseling on their infertility stress and depression, and the intervention programs for infertile women is expected to help them cope and adapt with their personal and marital problems, reduce their negative emotions, and thus promote their quality of life.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.198-202
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• 2021

Considerable disagreement exists regarding whether endometrial polyps should be removed before attempting natural pregnancy and before pregnancy via intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Through a literature review, we obtained information on the impact of endometrial polyps and polypectomy on fertility outcomes. Several observational studies have suggested that women with unexplained infertility may benefit from endometrial polypectomy for a future natural pregnancy. A few studies reported benefits from endometrial polypectomy in infertile women who plan to undergo IUI. However, no strong evidence supports polypectomy as a way to improve the pregnancy rate in infertile women who plan to undergo IVF or polypectomy during controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF. Although no studies have defined criteria for the polyp size that should be removed in infertile women, clinicians should be aware that small endometrial polyps (<10 mm) sometimes regress spontaneously. Endometrial polypectomy is currently justified in patients with repeated IVF failure, but more studies are needed to verify that endometrial polypectomy itself will eventually increase the pregnancy rate. Although several mechanisms by which endometrial polyps exert a negative effect on fertility have emerged, there is no consensus about the proper management of endometrial polyps in infertile women. Therefore, the management of endometrial polyps should be individualized depending on the patient's situation and clinician's preference.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2019

Purpose: As the number of infertile couples has grown, many infertile women have experienced depression during the diagnosis and treatment of their infertility. This study aimed to identify the factors related to depression in infertile women who underwent reproductive treatments. Methods: The study subjects were 149 infertile women who underwent reproductive treatments. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaires from August 1 to December 24, 2018. The questionnaire consisted of questions about fatigue, health-promoting behavior, and depression. Analyses of the descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, correlation, and multiple regression were conducted using the SPSS 25.0 Windows program. Results: Thirty-six of the women in the study (24.2%) were in the probably depressed group and 113 (75.8%) were in the definitely depressed group and 100% of the subjects experienced symptoms of depression. Depression was positively correlated with fatigue and negatively correlated with health-promoting behavior. Multiple regression analysis revealed that fatigue and interpersonal relationships were factors significantly related to depression in the model (p<.001), with an explanatory power of 42.6%. Conclusion: The results confirmed that fatigue and interpersonal relationships, which is a subfactor of health-promoting behavior, were factors related to depression. To alleviate depression in infertile women, efforts should be made to identify and reduce psychological and physical fatigue. In addition, minimizing relational difficulties that they experience during an infertility diagnosis and treatment and strengthening positive interpersonal relationships can be positive strategies to alleviate depression.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.174-180
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• 2016

Objective: To investigate psychological distress and fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) in infertile Korean women, and to investigate whether a correlation exists between psychological distress and FertiQoL. Methods: Participants in this study were made up of 141 infertile women and 65 fertile women. We conducted a survey on psychological distress (using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales [DASS]-42 questionnaire) and administered a FertiQoL questionnaire. The levels of stress hormones (adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH] and cortisol) in serum were assessed. Results: The scores for depression ($13.7{\pm}8.4$), anxiety ($10.7{\pm}6.4$), and stress ($18.0{\pm}8.3$) among the infertile women were significantly higher than the scores for depression ($9.4{\pm}7.5$), anxiety ($6.6{\pm}6.0$), and stress ($12.2{\pm}8.3$, p<0.001) among the fertile women. There was no difference in the scores for depression ($13.5{\pm}8.2$, $13.8{\pm}8.6$), anxiety ($10.0{\pm}6.2$, $11.5{\pm}6.6$) and stress ($17.7{\pm}8.4$, $18.4{\pm}8.1$) between younger (${\leq}34$) and older (${\geq}35$) participants. The mind-body (r =-0.495) and emotional (r =-0.590) subscales showed a higher negative correlation with stress compared with other scales of psychological distress. At the same time, the social (r =-0.537) and relational (r =-0.385) subscales showed a higher negative correlation with depression. Levels of cortisol and ACTH in infertile women were $9.1{\mu}g/mL$ and 11.9 pg/mL, respectively, which are within normal ranges. Conclusion: The levels of psychological distress and quality of life in infertile Korean women seem to require psychological intervention. This study provides a baseline measurement of psychological distress and FertiQoL in infertile women in Korea, which will be available for developing psychological interventions for infertile Korean women.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2002

Objective : To analyze the clinical characteristics of obese infertile women. Material and Method: Height, weight, body mass index, menstrual pattern, glucose, insulin, glucose/insulin ratio, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), testosterone, free testosterone and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) of 15 obese infertile women were tested. Results: Of 15 obese infertile women, the number of diabetes mellitus, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance was 2 (13%), 2 (13%), 2 (13%), respectively. The incidence of increased DHEA-S, testosterone, and free testosterone was 7 (47%), 1 (7%), 6 (40%), respectively. Notably, all patients showed increased PAI-1. Conclusions: Obesity is associated with infertility as well as many kinds of health problems. Obesity is closely related to insulin resistance and it also causes hyperandrogenism. Increased PAI-1 is one of the important causes of thrombophilia. Consequently, in the workup of obese infertile patient, many aspects of health problems should be considered.