Using Hypnosis to Enhance Fertility for Women Experiencing Infertility

Fertility and reproductive health are an inherent human right of women worldwide. It is also a vital component of society's general health and is pivotal to the propagation of the human race. However, many women are faced with infertility. In the United States, based on data obtained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), 6.7 million women have an impaired ability to conceive or carry to term. Globally, infertility affects 1 in 4 couples, or 72.4 million women. Approximately 56% of these women seek medical interventions such as assisted fertility treatments. Infertility in women is a multifactorial situation but has mainly been treated as a medical condition. Biological and psychological components influence infertility. For decades, assisted fertility treatments have focused on the biological aspects but have undervalued the psychological constituents. Assisted reproductive services offer women alternative options, but their high cost limits the number of women who can utilize the intervention. This project presents a detailed review of published research utilizing hypnosis in both medical procedures and the treatment of mental health. Research conducted in the application of hypnosis during medical procedures has included pain management, irritable bowel syndrome, dermatological and cancer treatments; in the field of Obstetrics embryo transfer during in vitro fertilization, labor and delivery. All reviewed studies varied in target populations and experimental parameters. Despite the variance of the research, all literary works indicated auspicious outcomes as a result of hypnotic interventions. This illustrates hypnotic interventions are an advantageous alternative that incorporates the psychological constituents in the treatment of infertility or as an adjunct provision to medical interventions. Developing a program that employs hypnosis to enhance fertility will result in a propitious outcome. This project was created to provide women with an alternative cost effective option that address the psychological influences that are associated with and can cause infertility consequently optimizing their chances of conception.