Study on Using a Stress Ball or Hand-Holding to Reduce Pain, Anxiety, and Improve Comfort During Intrauterine Insemination in Women Aged 18 to 50

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate how holding a patients hand or using a stress ball during the Intrauterine Insemination IUI procedure affects pain, anxiety, comfort, and physiological responses. The study is a randomized controlled trial conducted in the IVF Unit of a Medical Faculty Hospital in Turkey, involving 120 women divided into three groups stress ball, hand-holding, and control. Infertility and the stress related to assisted reproductive techniques like IUI can negatively impact womens physical and emotional well-being, which this study seeks to address. Participants are assigned to one of three groups. The Stress Ball Group receives a colored silicone stress ball five minutes before the procedure and squeezes it repeatedly during the IUI. In the Hand-Holding Group, the researcher gently holds one of the participants hands during catheter insertion and removal without additional movement or gloves. The Control Group undergoes the standard IUI procedure without extra intervention. These methods are behavioral and non-pharmacological, aiming to reduce discomfort and anxiety. Women in the study are assessed using several tools before and after the IUI procedure, including a Personal Information Form, Visual Analog Scale for pain, State Anxiety Inventory, and General Comfort Scale Short Form. These assessments occur 10 minutes before and 15 minutes after the procedure while participants are monitored in the patient observation room. The study also monitors physiological parameters and seeks to understand the effects of these interventions on patient comfort and anxiety during IUI treatment.

The Effect of Stress Ball Used During Intra Uterine Insemination on Pain, Anxiety, Comfort and Physiological Parameters