This book is intended for nurses and midwives who work in Assisted Reproduction clinics and those who either work in, or have an interest in women’s health. The number of IVF births is increasing steadily as a percentage of all births and therefore infertility may be said to be increasingly influential in women’s health nursing and midwifery.

The sense of connectedness which women caring for women express and as the data in this book show, women patients feel that there is something special about being cared for by female nurses and midwives. The emotions raised in clinical practice for nurses and midwives from caring for women need attention and discussion and this book is intended to contribute to a greater awareness of emotions in clinical practice even in a busy NHS.

Indeed, paying attention to emotions when you are busy may help you understand and deal with the business. This book is intended for practicing nurses and midwives and therefore each chapter ends with a reflection from the author on the implications of the data for practice and an opportunity for the reader to reflect on their practice too.

Contents include:

• A theoretical overview of caring and emotions
• The experience of infertility
• The nature of caring and managing emotions in fertility nursing
• Managing emotions and the body in fertility nursing: chaperoning brought up to date
• Experiences of infertility: liminality and the role of the Assisted Reproduction clinics
• Managing intimacy in fertility nursing
• The nature of advanced fertility nursing roles: why do nurses undertake them?