title: Stress and anxiety in IVF and non-IVF pregnancies

authors: Clausen, Elizabeth Dorothy

subjects: IVF

abstract: As an increasing number of couples experience difficulties conceiving a child, the demand for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) continues to grow. A great deal of research has been done on the process of enabling conception but much less research has been done on pregnancy experiences of the parents, and previous research has concluded that couples treated with ARTs experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. Given that these responses can negatively impact the development of the foetus, this is an important area of study. The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy experiences, including stress and anxiety levels, of women and their partners who were pregnant after treatment with ARTs with pregnancy experiences of women and their partners who had conceived spontaneously. Participants in the study were 38 women pregnant from IVF, 31 IVF partners, 38 control women who conceived spontaneously, and 13 control partners. The women were all past their first trimester of pregnancy. All participants completed a battery of psychometric measures including demographic questionnaires and seven self-report inventories. The study found that IVF mothers did not experience pregnancy differently from control mothers, however, both IVF mothers and control mothers experienced higher anxiety and lower mood compared to their partners, and IVF couples reported lower quality of life. Focusing on IVF couples, the pregnancy experiences of partners revealed they felt more controlled in their relationship, irrespective of having prior children, and IVF couples with children felt less supported from family and their social network. Furthermore, IVF partners felt more controlled within their relationships irrespective of the treatment type used and the duration of the treatment process. Analyses also revealed two or more treatment cycles had an effect on couple’s ability to cope. The findings of this study showing similar pregnancy experiences between IVF mothers and control mothers, and IVF couples pregnancy experiences on the basis of prior family, treatment type and duration, is advantageous for the positive outcomes of their unborn children. The small number of control partner participants was a limitation of this study, and future research could include strategies that might improve the response rate. In addition, future studies could include qualitative data to gain a personal perspective as a supplement to statistical analyses, and longitudinal studies could compare similar groups from conception to a period after the birth of the child. The study showed the resiliency of IVF couples who had endured the processes of ARTs, some of whom commented that they would prefer extended professional care as an addition to the treatment processes.

text: Stress and anxiety in IVF and non-IVF pregnancies As an increasing number of couples experience difficulties conceiving a child, the demand for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) continues to grow. A great deal of research has been done on the process of enabling conception but much less research has been done on pregnancy experiences of the parents, and previous research has concluded that couples treated with ARTs experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. Given that these responses can negatively impact the development of the foetus, this is an important area of study. The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy experiences, including stress and anxiety levels, of women and their partners who were pregnant after treatment with ARTs with pregnancy experiences of women and their partners who had conceived spontaneously. Participants in the study were 38 women pregnant from IVF, 31 IVF partners, 38 control women who conceived spontaneously, and 13 control partners. The women were all past their first trimester of pregnancy. All participants completed a battery of psychometric measures including demographic questionnaires and seven self-report inventories. The study found that IVF mothers did not experience pregnancy differently from control mothers, however, both IVF mothers and control mothers experienced higher anxiety and lower mood compared to their partners, and IVF couples reported lower quality of life. Focusing on IVF couples, the pregnancy experiences of partners revealed they felt more controlled in their relationship, irrespective of having prior children, and IVF couples with children felt less supported from family and their social network. Furthermore, IVF partners felt more controlled within their relationships irrespective of the treatment type used and the duration of the treatment process. Analyses also revealed two or more treatment cycles had an effect on couple’s ability to cope. The findings of this study showing similar pregnancy experiences between IVF mothers and control mothers, and IVF couples pregnancy experiences on the basis of prior family, treatment type and duration, is advantageous for the positive outcomes of their unborn children. The small number of control partner participants was a limitation of this study, and future research could include strategies that might improve the response rate. In addition, future studies could include qualitative data to gain a personal perspective as a supplement to statistical analyses, and longitudinal studies could compare similar groups from conception to a period after the birth of the child. The study showed the resiliency of IVF couples who had endured the processes of ARTs, some of whom commented that they would prefer extended professional care as an addition to the treatment processes.

year: 2010

title: Condensation corrosion alters the oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of speleothem and limestone surfaces

authors: White, Jackson H.

abstract: Condensation corrosion is a natural process which enhances the chemical weathering of limestone cave chambers and speleothems. We evaluated the use of carbonate tablets for detecting condensation corrosion in Glowworm Cave, New Zealand, using local limestone and speleothem as experimental substrates (herein tablets). Evidence for condensation corrosion was assessed via three methods: gravimetric (mass wasting), microscopic (surface pitting, recrystallization) and isotopic (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O changes). Our results show little evidence of tablet mass loss throughout a 6-month deployment period. However, SEM imaging and isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) of the upper ∼50 μm layer of the tablets, suggest that condensation corrosion operates in the cave, especially in sectors affected by large diurnal microclimate variations.

Most notably, condensation water altered the tablet surface δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values. Small, positive shifts in surface δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values are considered to reflect pure dissolution (where dissolution favours the removal of lighter isotopologues). In contrast, tablets that exhibited large positive shifts in δ¹³C in tandem with large negative shifts in δ¹⁸O values, are interpreted as showing calcite recrystallization and the inheritance of higher DIC δ¹³C values (¹³C fractionation by CO₂ degassing), lighter water δ¹⁸O values and/or kinetic fractionation of δ¹⁸O. This study therefore demonstrates that stable isotopes could be applied to detect paleoclimatic episodes of condensation corrosion in speleothems.

text: Condensation corrosion alters the oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of speleothem and limestone surfaces Condensation corrosion is a natural process which enhances the chemical weathering of limestone cave chambers and speleothems. We evaluated the use of carbonate tablets for detecting condensation corrosion in Glowworm Cave, New Zealand, using local limestone and speleothem as experimental substrates (herein tablets). Evidence for condensation corrosion was assessed via three methods: gravimetric (mass wasting), microscopic (surface pitting, recrystallization) and isotopic (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O changes). Our results show little evidence of tablet mass loss throughout a 6-month deployment period. However, SEM imaging and isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) of the upper ∼50 μm layer of the tablets, suggest that condensation corrosion operates in the cave, especially in sectors affected by large diurnal microclimate variations.

Most notably, condensation water altered the tablet surface δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values. Small, positive shifts in surface δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values are considered to reflect pure dissolution (where dissolution favours the removal of lighter isotopologues). In contrast, tablets that exhibited large positive shifts in δ¹³C in tandem with large negative shifts in δ¹⁸O values, are interpreted as showing calcite recrystallization and the inheritance of higher DIC δ¹³C values (¹³C fractionation by CO₂ degassing), lighter water δ¹⁸O values and/or kinetic fractionation of δ¹⁸O. This study therefore demonstrates that stable isotopes could be applied to detect paleoclimatic episodes of condensation corrosion in speleothems.

year: 2021

title: Institutional Racism and the Dynamics of Privilege in Public Health

authors: Came, Heather

subjects: Institutional racism

abstract: Institutional racism, a pattern of differential access to material resources and power determined by race, advantages one sector of the population while disadvantaging another. Such racism is not only about conspicuous acts of violence but can be carried in the hold of mono-cultural perspectives. Overt state violation of principles contributes to the backdrop against which much less overt yet insidious violations occur. New Zealand health policy is one such mono-cultural domain. It is dominated by western bio-medical discourses that preclude and under-value Māori,  the indigenous peoples of this land, in the conceptualisation, structure, content, and processes of health policies, despite Te Tiriti o Waitangi  guarantees to protect Māori interests.

Since the 1980s, the Department of Health has committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of Māori-settler relationships and governance arrangements. Subsequent Waitangi Tribunal reports, produced by an independent Commission of Inquiry have documented the often-illegal actions of successive governments advancing the interests of Pākehā  at the expense of Māori. Institutional controls have not prevented inequities between Māori and non-Māori across a plethora of social and economic indicators.

Activist scholars work to expose and transform perceived inequities. My research interest lies in how Crown Ministers and officials within the public health sector practice institutional racism and privilege and how it can be transformed. Through dialogue with Māori working within the health sector, fuelled by critical analysis and strategic advice from a research whānau (family) of Māori health leaders and a Pākehā Tiriti worker, and embracing the traditions of feminist and critical race theory  I provide evidence of racism that can invoke strong emotional reactions. More disturbing is its normalisation to nigh imperceptibility within ones personal and professional life. The exposure of racism as a socially created phenomenon is a strength of the research presented here. 

My action orientation is my ethical response. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a pathway to transforming racism. Such change is likely to be resisted by the Pākehā majority. This anticipated resistance is not a credible reason to weaken responsibility for such necessary change. Transforming institutional racism needs to be driven by senior managers, professional bodies, unions, and by communities. Policies, practices and leadership that enable institutional racism need to be systematically eliminated from the health sector. Crown officials must be supported to strengthen their professional accountabilities and to embrace ethical bicultural practice. Greater transparency could enable more effective monitoring of Crown behaviour and support transformed practice.

text: Institutional Racism and the Dynamics of Privilege in Public Health Institutional racism, a pattern of differential access to material resources and power determined by race, advantages one sector of the population while disadvantaging another. Such racism is not only about conspicuous acts of violence but can be carried in the hold of mono-cultural perspectives. Overt state violation of principles contributes to the backdrop against which much less overt yet insidious violations occur. New Zealand health policy is one such mono-cultural domain. It is dominated by western bio-medical discourses that preclude and under-value Māori,  the indigenous peoples of this land, in the conceptualisation, structure, content, and processes of health policies, despite Te Tiriti o Waitangi  guarantees to protect Māori interests.

Since the 1980s, the Department of Health has committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of Māori-settler relationships and governance arrangements. Subsequent Waitangi Tribunal reports, produced by an independent Commission of Inquiry have documented the often-illegal actions of successive governments advancing the interests of Pākehā  at the expense of Māori. Institutional controls have not prevented inequities between Māori and non-Māori across a plethora of social and economic indicators.

Activist scholars work to expose and transform perceived inequities. My research interest lies in how Crown Ministers and officials within the public health sector practice institutional racism and privilege and how it can be transformed. Through dialogue with Māori working within the health sector, fuelled by critical analysis and strategic advice from a research whānau (family) of Māori health leaders and a Pākehā Tiriti worker, and embracing the traditions of feminist and critical race theory  I provide evidence of racism that can invoke strong emotional reactions. More disturbing is its normalisation to nigh imperceptibility within ones personal and professional life. The exposure of racism as a socially created phenomenon is a strength of the research presented here. 

My action orientation is my ethical response. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a pathway to transforming racism. Such change is likely to be resisted by the Pākehā majority. This anticipated resistance is not a credible reason to weaken responsibility for such necessary change. Transforming institutional racism needs to be driven by senior managers, professional bodies, unions, and by communities. Policies, practices and leadership that enable institutional racism need to be systematically eliminated from the health sector. Crown officials must be supported to strengthen their professional accountabilities and to embrace ethical bicultural practice. Greater transparency could enable more effective monitoring of Crown behaviour and support transformed practice.

year: 2012