| Anamnestic data of participants | Collections of the semi-structured interview | ||
| Cognitions | Affects | Behaviours | |
| Mrs A, 30 years old, after 5 years of life without children, returned with her husband for a second attempt at ART, after the failure of the first. She has a problem with her fallopian tubes and has undergone the fertility protocol in order to produce several oocytes for IVF. She is already complaining of considerable weight gain since her first hormone treatment | Usually, Mrs. A’s weight does not exceed 65 kg. Since she started taking hormones, she finds herself at 70 kg; which raises questions among his colleagues and relatives who think, for the most part, that his excess weight is linked to eating behavior. “My colleagues and friends have been asking me for a while why this sudden change in weight when I am not pregnant; some say to themselves that I consume more delicacies” | -Eating behavior disorder “I am afraid of gaining more pounds when I eat; which makes me lose my appetite in front of my favorite dishes” -The feeling of loss of self-esteem “I sometimes think that I have lost everything, since I no longer have my good front line and I no longer have children” -The feeling of being useless “we no longer go to nightclubs to dance as before, I feel like I am no longer of much use to my husband; I don’t even know if he still loves me.” | -The practice of purges “I did the purges to lose weight but I had the impression that it didn’t work because you had to take foods that promote conception like avocados at the same time.” -Taking parsley “I was asked to drink parsley but taking it regularly made me dizzy.” -The practice of sports exercises; “I used to play sports but over time I got discouraged”; -The restriction of contact with the in-laws “I prefer not to have contact with my in-laws since they do not find it normal that I gain weight when I cannot conceive” |
| Mrs. C. is 35 years old. After 7 years of life as a couple without children, they undertook PMA. They are currently on their second attempt having failed in the first. Mrs. C is concerned, after all the hassles associated with this procedure, with her constantly changing body image. She complains of weight gain linked to fertility hormones. This situation seems rather devalued to her in-laws who do not understand the reasons for this sudden change when there is no pregnancy. She nevertheless agreed to speak with us. | Mrs. C must above all keep secret the reason for her weight gain since the practice of PMA is still taboo in her social environment. “It’s very hard to bear the mockery coming from the in-laws who believe that I eat money, I get fat without being able to give their son a child. If only they could imagine what was happening. The secret is kept between their son and me. I carry the heavy burden. They must not know what is going on. Our entire wish is that this ends in a good result.” | -The feeling of guilt “Sometimes I wonder if I didn’t make the wrong choice; maybe if I were married to another man, everything would be different; I won’t be going through all this.” -The feeling of being too ugly “I no longer see myself as sexy in my outfits; which irritates me every time I have to go shopping, since I have to increase the size of my clothes and suddenly I look like a ball” -The fear of abandonment by her spouse “my husband used to appreciate my small body and my style; but since we have been following this treatment, he no longer says anything about the change and I ask myself questions” | -The practice of weight-loss diet; “When I research how to lose weight, we recommend eating healthy, however certain foods that promote conception are also fattening, a bit like eggs and dairy products” -Modification of clothes “I am always changing the measurements of my clothes which no longer fit on me” -Complete cessation of sugary products “I no longer consume sweet products since the weight gain started” -Limit at the output level “I prefer not to be with friends since I don’t feel comfortable with my new physique” |
| Mrs F is 33 years old, having lived together for 8 years without children, her husband and she adopted the ART which ended in failure. They came back for their second try but the woman languishes in a strong feeling of worthlessness because of her weight load which worries her family and her in-laws but she cannot reveal the secret of the ART | Mrs F has had to refuse visitors for quite a while since her unusual weight no longer allows her to do the usual exercises “I don’t want people to visit me anymore since I will have to cook for them and give them time to discuss current affairs; my weight tires me out and I spend most of my time on weekends in bed; I no longer work as before; in short I mean; I sleep more” | -Low self-esteem; “taking hormones makes me gain weight but I can’t tell people; It disturbs me a lot when people ask me questions”. -Feeling of displeasing people; “I suffer enormously because I no longer feel like myself; I have the impression that I disgust people” -Anxiety and depression “I feel tired all the time, I can’t take initiatives personally” | Taking slimming potions but no convincing result “When I noticed that I was gaining weight I immediately started weight-loss products, but over time I realized that it was a waste of time” -Withdrawn “Most of the time I stay in the background so as not to have to give explanations about weight gain or advice on how to lose it” |
| Mrs. H. is 37 years old, she has not always been able to give a child to her spouse after 10 years of living together. She is on her third attempt at conception via PMA with repeated failure; unfortunately the hormonal treatment, which influences his weight, increases the level of anxiety already present due to infertility | Mrs. H. felt rather disturbed by her mother-in-law’s disappointment; “my mother-in-law who had equated my weight gain with pregnancy was very disappointed when I let her know that I was not pregnant; I really hurt when I talked to her. She was sure there was something but over time she took the trouble to ask me the question because she couldn’t see the belly coming out. My answer disappointed her so much” | -Dissatisfaction with his appearance; “I don’t feel satisfied with my physical appearance; it’s as if everyone is rejecting me”; -Frequent disruption “I have to stop eating my favorite foods because of my overweight” -Low self-esteem; “I sometimes wonder what I’m good for with my husband; I have lost my beauty and I am without a baby; I wonder if he still loves me” -Feeling of shame; “I’m ashamed to be with friends” | -Reduction of meals but overweight due to hormonal pills; “I eat less than before but the fact that I am always on treatment does not change anything” No visits to relatives and in-laws; “People have been asking me for a while now why I’m gaining so much weight; it bothers me so much and prevents me from going to people’s homes” -The regular practice of sports exercises “I had to stop playing sports because it made me look ridiculous, especially when I was alone; I had this impression that people were talking about me and I was ashamed most of the time” |