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The crafting of hope: Contextualising add-ons in the treatment trajectories of IVF patients

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  • Perrotta, Manuela
  • Hamper, Josie

Abstract

The proliferation and popularity of additional treatments in IVF, also known as add-ons, has generated widespread discussion and controversy in the UK, where concerns have addressed the lack of evidence to support the efficacy and safety of these treatments, their cost, and their connection to a wider context of privatisation of fertility treatment. Drawing on 42 interviews with IVF patients, this article explores the role of hope in the appeal of add-ons from the patient perspective. The analysis is presented in two parts: firstly, we investigate the role of hope in patients’ decision-making on treatment, contextualising add-ons in the broader trajectory of their IVF experience; secondly, we examine how patients navigate the offer of add-ons, focusing on the role of hope in how they rationalise their decisions on whether to include them in their fertility treatment. Our analysis shows how patients craft their hope to navigate the increasing number of available options in their quest to find the treatment(s) that will “work” for them. We suggest that the imperative for patients to explore all options is intensified with the emergence of add-ons, which produces a novel context and version of a “hope technology”.

Suggested Citation

  • Perrotta, Manuela & Hamper, Josie, 2021. "The crafting of hope: Contextualising add-ons in the treatment trajectories of IVF patients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:287:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621006493
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114317
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eliott, Jaklin A. & Olver, Ian N., 2007. "Hope and hoping in the talk of dying cancer patients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 138-149, January.
    2. Perrotta, Manuela & Geampana, Alina, 2020. "The trouble with IVF and randomised control trials: Professional legitimation narratives on time-lapse imaging and evidence-informed care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    3. Ezzy, Douglas, 2000. "Illness narratives: time, hope and HIV," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(5), pages 605-617, March.
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    1. Petersen, Alan & Schermuly, Allegra & Anderson, Alison, 2022. "‘A platform for goodness, not for badness’: The heuristics of hope in patients' evaluations of online health information," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).

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