A Couple-based Gender-transformative Intervention on IPV Against Infertile Women

Peking University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Violence, Domestic; Infertility, Female

Treatments: Behavioral: Gender-transformative intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06124950

M2023460

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted at two reproductive medicine centers in Beijing, China. Couples undergoing their first or second in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle, diagnosed with female-factor infertility, and who have signed informed consent will be enrolled. Exclusion criteria include couples receiving donated oocytes, sperm, or embryos; those diagnosed with severe male-factor infertility or unexplained infertility; those undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT); those who have not undergone embryo transfer within six months after oocyte retrieval; those with severe mental disorders; and those who withdraw from the study.

Participants are will randomly allocated 1:1 by center to either the intervention or control group. Couples in the intervention group will receive five 60-minutes GTI sessions focusing on gender norms, gender equality, and healthy relationship skills, conducted by trained healthcare providers and social workers. The control group will receive standard reproductive care. A total of 376 infertile couples will be enrolled (188 couples per group).

The primary outcome is the IPV rate against infertile women over the past 12 months.

Full description

Infertility and intimate partner violence (IPV) are significant challenges in sexual and reproductive health, with a notable intersection as infertile women face higher IPV risks. However, the needs of infertile couples have been largely overlooked, and the effectiveness of gender-transformative interventions (GTIs) designed to challenge gender inequality and question gender norms in reducing IPV against infertile women has not been evaluated.

This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted at two reproductive medicine centers in Beijing, China (the Centers for Reproductive Medicine of Peking University Third Hospital and Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital).

A multidisciplinary team of experts, including 8-10 experts in reproductive medicine, nursing, social work, psychiatry, family law, and evidence-based medicine, will be established to support the development of the intervention. Five 60-minutes GTI sessions will be delivered by trained nurses and social workers throughout participants' fertility treatment cycle. Intervention will be carried out at the 4 critical windows of opportunity for infertility treatment: (1) before entering the cycle; (2) during follicular monitoring; (3) the oocyte retrieval-embryo transfer phase; (4) 2 weeks after the embryo transfer (hCG pregnancy test), and (5) 28-30 days after the embryo transfer. The intervention components will equip couples with educational information on health and relationship and skills obtained from interactive activities designed with an explicit focus on challenging gender stereotypes, all of which could incite reflection on sociocultural norms and gender-related power inequality.

Participants are will randomly allocated 1:1 by center to either the intervention or control group. Couples in the intervention group will receive GTI sessions. The control group will receive standard reproductive care. A total of 376 infertile couples will be enrolled (188 couples per group).

Enrollment: 752 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Couples who are undergoing their first or second IVF/ICSI cycle;
• Couples diagnosed with female-factor infertility;
• Couples who have signed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Couples who receive donated oocytes, sperm, or embryos;
• Couples diagnosed with severe male-factor infertility or unexplained infertility.
• Couples who are undergoing Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT);
• Couples who have not undergone embryo transfer within six months after oocyte retrieval;
• Couples who have severe mental disorders;
• Couples who withdrew from the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Screening

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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752 participants in 2 patient groups

GTI Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the intervention group will be provided with five GTI sessions (60-minutes/session) by trained nurses and social workers throughout participants' fertility treatment cycle throughout participants' fertility treatment cycle.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Gender-transformative intervention

Standard Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the intervention group will be provided with standard clinical procedures for assisted reproduction and health education.