Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 83-90 , January 2009

Perceptions of infertility information and support sources among female patients who access the Internet

  • LeeAnn Kahlor, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Center for Women's and Gender Studies, and Department of Advertising and Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: LeeAnn Kahlor, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, College of Communication, Mail Code A1200, Austin, TX 78712-1092 (FAX: 512-471-7018).
    • ,
  • Michael Mackert, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, School of Nursing, and Department of Advertising and Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Received 18 July 2007 ,Revised 31 October 2007 ,Accepted 6 November 2007.

References 

  1. Fox S. Online health search 2006. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Health_2006.pdf. Accessed July 5, 2007.
  2. Baker L, Wagner T, Singer S, Bundorf MK. Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information. JAMA. 2003;289:2400–2406
  3. Shaw BR, McTavish FM, Hawkins RP, Gustafson DH, Pingree S. Experiences of women with breast cancer: exchanging social support over the CHESS computer network. J Health Commun. 2000;5:135–159
  4. Helft P, Hlubocky F, Daugherty C. American oncologists' views of Internet use by cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21:942–947
  5. Huang JYJ, Al-Fozan H, Tan SL, Tulandi T. Internet use by patients seeking infertility treatment. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2003;83:75–76
  6. Epstein YM, Rosenberg HS, Grant T, Hemenway BA. Use of the Internet as the only outlet for talking about infertility. Fertil Steril. 2002;78:507–514
  7. Huang JYJ, Discepola F, Al-Fozan H, Tulandi T. Quality of fertility clinic web sites. Fertil Steril. 2005;83:538–544
  8. Weissman A, Gotlieb L, Ward S, Greenblatt E, Casper R. Use of internet by infertile couples. Fertil Steril. 2000;73:1179–1182
  9. Becker G, Castrillo M, Jackson R, Nachtigall RD. Infertility among low-income Latinos. Fertil Steril. 2006;85:882–887
  10. Inhorn M, Fakih MH. Arab Americans, African Americans and infertility: barriers to reproduction and medical care. Fertil Steril. 2006;85:844–852
  11. Berger M, Wagner T, Baker L. Internet use and stigmatized illness. Soc Sci Med. 2005;61:1821–1827
  12. Maly RC, Leake B, Silliman RA. Health care disparities in older patients with breast carcinoma: informational support from physicians. Cancer. 2003;97:1517–1527
  13. Bass SB, Ruzek SB, Gordon TF, Fleisher L, McKeown-Conn N, Moore D. Relationship of Internet health information use with patient behavior and self efficacy: experiences of newly diagnosed cancer patients who contact the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service. J Health Commun. 2006;11:219–236
  14. Gonzalez L. Infertility as a transformational process: a framework for psychotherapeutic support of infertile women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2000;21:619–633
  15. Winker MA, Flanagin A, Chi-Lum B, White J, Andrews K, Kennett RL, et al. Guidelines for medical and health information sites on the Internet. JAMA. 2000;283:1600–1606
  16. Cohen J, Cohen P, West SG, Aiken L. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. 3rd ed.. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2003;41

 Supported through funding from the Center for Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and research assistance from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

PII: S0015-0282(07)03970-2

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.005

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 83-90 , January 2009

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