NOVEMBER 2003, VOLUME 31, NUMBER 2, Abstract 3
Recipe for a Miracle: Determination, Optimism, Medical Technology, and Hypnosis in IVF
Susan Hutchinson-Phillips, Psychologist
Involuntary childlessness in now commonly treated using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) programmes, although the process involved is usually a long and frustrating one for the couples involved, with a four to five year wait for successful pregnancy for most. Hypnosis has traditionally been used in childbirth to assist in relaxation and to enhance perceptions of control, both of which can be negatively impacted during the course of IVF procedures. However, literature regarding use of hypnosis to assist in cases of infertility is almost non-existent. Success using hypnosis as an adjunct to IVF procedures in the following case suggests that its use in this area could be beneficial to those who through diagnosable or idiopathic reasons are unable to conceive naturally.