2001, Number 2
Perinatol Reprod Hum 2001; 15 (2)
La ruta del padecer de mujeres con diagnóstico de infertilidad
Castañeda-Jiménez E, Bustos-López Héctor-Hugo
Full text
Language: Spanish
References: 8
Page: 124-132
PDF size: 148.12 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Infertility or incapacity to achieve pregnancy has been analized from distinct disciplinary perspectives. The biomedical approach has generated biological and pathogenic information as well as, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions; psychology evaluates infertility in terms of its adverse impact on mental welfare. In Mexico, the anthropological perspective, that is to say the sociocultural meanings associated to the condition of sterile, has been absent in the research.Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe and analyze social representations and practices of women diagnosed as infertile, patients that belong to the Infertility and Sterility Department and the Assisted Reproduction Department of the National Institute Perinatology (INPer). This research incorporates the sociocultural dimension existing in the construction of infertility as problem. The medical anthropological perspective emphasizes on sterile women experience of suffering due to their disability to become pregnant.
Material and methods: Research participants were 5 women undergoing medical treatment at the time of the research. All respondents had an infertility diagnosis of at least 24 months of evolution. Informed consent was requested from each patient. Respondents were aleatory selected. Anthropological methods were utilized in conducting the research. Women were interviewed in-depth, all interviews were taped, and one interviewer collected transcripted and coded data.
Results: Through the narratives of infertile women, in different stages of the route of illness, the study analyzes social representations and practices regarding to female infertility. It incorporates information regarding to a former stage, when they consulted and followed treatments prescribed by practitioners belonging to different ethnomedicines, allopathic and nonallopathic. The state as patients at the INPer is also included, special attention is given to their representations regarding treatments, and technology as well as to the doctor-patient relationship.
Conclusions: This work permits to identify some of the causes of miss relation between doctors and patients in the fertility area. The work pretends to improve the medical quality of care through an invitation to the health professional of this area to consider the anthropological point of view, an unusual topic related with infertility.
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