Abstract

Trends in social media topics during COVID-19 among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment

Hannah Stump, BS¹, Hanna Perone, BS², Alexandra Herweck, BBA², Hannah Levine, BA¹, Adriana Wong, MD, MPH³ and Jose Carugno, MD⁴
(1)Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Fairborn, OH, (2)University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, (3)UC Davis, Sacramento, CA, (4)University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL

APHA's 2020 VIRTUAL Annual Meeting and Expo (Oct. 24 - 28)

Patients undergoing fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), face unique physical and mental challenges. With the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, IVF patients experienced additional obstacles as hospitals and clinics shut down in compliance with recommendations for limiting exposure risk. On March 17, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued a national recommendation to postpone IVF cycles. To assess the impact of COVID-19 on IVF patients, we conducted a qualitative analysis using social media. Three days from March 2020 following ASRM recommendations were randomly selected and 563 Instagram posts were collected. After exclusion of 354 posts, the remaining 209 posts were analyzed with thematic coding. Five major themes were identified including 1) the medical and physical experience, 2) emotional spectrum, 3) sources of social support, 4) coping mechanisms and 5) education on social media. Posts were categorized based on whether or not COVID-19 was discussed and theme frequencies were compared. The majority of patients impacted by the pandemic discussed setbacks such as clinic closures consistent with ASRM’s recommendation. Posts authored by those impacted by COVID-19 contained more negative emotions and fewer positive emotions compared to unaffected users. Despite these findings, posts offering support nearly tripled in frequency, highlighting the resilience of the IVF community. Our thematic analysis demonstrates the need for careful consideration of the psychological and social effects of cycle cancellations on the IVF community. Sentiments revealed by this study should be considered when a successive pandemic or global emergency threatens IVF treatment protocols.

Social and behavioral sciences