Demands of Couples with Experience Receiving Assisted Reproductive Technology: Directed Content Analysis Based on Concentric Sphere Family Environment Theory

Experience with assisted reproductive technology (ART) affects the physical and psychological well-being of women and men individually, as well as couples’ relationships, work, and daily lives. Therefore, it is important to understand the demands couples develop through these experiences. This study aimed to identify the demands of couples with experience receiving ART. Demands were defined as couples’ subjective requests, wishes, and difficulties. A qualitative descriptive research design was used. Eleven couples with experience receiving ART participated in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using directed content analysis, with Concentric Sphere Family Environment Theory. A total of 46 subcategories and 15 categories were generated. The couples’ demands were classified into two categories each for the family internal environment system, the family system unit, the micro system, the supra system, and the family chrono environment system, and five categories for the macro system. Couples’ demands were related to partners’ understanding and support; between-partner cooperation and consensus-building; management of relationships with relatives and friends; balance between work and ART; systems and services of ART facilities and relationships with healthcare professionals; access to reliable information; financial support; specialized consultation services; reduced sociocultural prejudice; spiritual support; and adjustment of the continuation or termination of treatment based on age and treatment duration. The demands of couples with experience receiving ART extend beyond treatment-related issues to encompass the relationship between partners, interactions with others, the medical and social environment, and time constraints. To understand these demands, it is necessary to view the couple as a family system unit and to consider their relationship within the context of their family environment.