Today we're talking research! But don't "change the channel" — you're going to find this both fascinating and easy to digest.
In this conversation with Eleanor Stevenson, PhD, RN, FAAN, Ruby and Anne talk about the science behind fertility and why it's so important to patient safety and outcomes to keep up with the science.
Some questions they tackle include: How is research conducted? How does data inform treatment? What are researchers looking for? How do they ensure the results are accurate?
One special area of focus for Dr. Stevenson is stress and its effects on fertility. There's no question that the fertility journey can be very stressful for those with unexpected challenges: how does that stress impact the journey? What lingering effects might there be, even if treatment is successful?
Another area of focus is the experience of those who identify as cis-heterosexual men in fertility. Men are often left out of the process in many ways, but what happens when there's a challenge with male-factor fertility (eg low sperm count)?
Eleanor Stevenson, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a Clinical Professor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. She received her BS in Nursing from Rutgers University College of Nursing–New Brunswick, and her MS as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner from Rutgers University College of Nursing–Newark. She received her PhD in Nursing Research and Theory Development from New York University College of Nursing.
Her area of inquiry focuses on the multidimensional psychological stress women who have conceived pregnancies via in-vitro fertilization experience as well as the adaptive behaviors of men with male-factor infertility. She is also engaged in inquiry about how men can increase access to primary care via female-facing care models such as infertility treatment and family planning.
Dr. Stevenson’s clinical career has focused on women’s health issues including clinical practice in various settings such as high-risk labor and delivery, mother-baby, antepartum, family planning, and infertility services. Dr. Stevenson has also applied her clinical expertise in research and development of women’s health and infertility medications.
Learn more about Dr. Stevenson here: https://scholars.duke.edu/person/eleanor.stevenson
