When IVF is not Successful, How do you Give Bad News?

Dr. Andrea Braverman

• As the success rates of IVF have increased, the delivery of bad news still remains a task and a challenge for the treatment team. Few physicians receive training in delivering devastating news to their patients. Providers are well aware of the emotional and financial stakes involved in treatment cycles as well as the additive increased pressure of advancing age and diminishing ovarian reserve. Some protocols from the oncology field may be useful in adapting for providers. We will discuss various approaches to telling patients difficult news and explore how patients experience these approaches. 

• Describe the range of issues that constitute bad news for the infertile patient
• Discuss the emotional and cognitive responses to hearing bad news
• Identify strategies for delivering bad news