Fertility quality of life tool: update on research and practice considerations

Abstract

The 36-item Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool is increasingly used in research and practice. It measures quality of life in four personal domains (emotional, social, relational, mind/body) and two treatment domains (tolerability, environment). A literature review of published empirical research using FertiQoL was undertaken to provide an overview of this research base. Five databases were searched using ‘FertiQoL’ and its variant. In total, 41 published articles from 35 independent samples in 23 countries involving 16,315 participants, mainly in clinical settings, were reviewed. FertiQoL was used for three main purposes: (i) to assess quality of life and FertiQoL measurement properties (especially Core FertiQoL) using cross-sectional designs; (ii) to identify correlates, predictors, and consequences of fertility quality of life (some of which included international comparisons); (iii) to assess the effect of psychological interventions on fertility quality of life. The range of median FertiQoL Core, Treatment and subscale (scaled) scores in 31 samples was between 60 and 75. Poorer fertility quality of life was consistently associated with being a woman, longer duration of infertility, poorer psychological functioning and lower patient–centred care. Some FertiQoL subscale scores improved after psychological interventions. Future research should address measurement issues and examine reported associations with fertility quality of life.

KEYWORDS:

• Infertility
• fertility
• review
• narrative review
• quality of life
• psychosocial intervention

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Toni Harris and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi for assistance with an early review and Dr. China Harrison with check of final review.

Disclosure statement

EK and JT report no conflict of interest. The employer of JB (Cardiff University) could one day receive royalties from the commercial use of Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL). EK was a visiting researcher at the Cardiff Fertility Studies Research Group, Cardiff University while the work for this paper was completed.

Study funding

No funding was received for this manuscript. The Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool was developed in collaboration with the European Society of Human Reproduction (ESHRE) and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) with funding from Merck-Serono, Geneva Switzerland (part of Merck, Darmstadt Germany) and Cardiff University.

Additional information

Funding

JB has received funding from Merck Norway (Merck AB NUF) for the Norwegian translation of the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) tool and funding from Ferring International Center S.A. for the Czech translation of the FertiQoL scale.