A Couple-based Gender-transformative Intervention on IPV Against Infertile Women

This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted at two reproductive medicine centers in Beijing, China. Couples undergoing their first or second in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle, diagnosed with female-factor infertility, and who have signed informed consent will be enrolled. Exclusion criteria include couples receiving donated oocytes, sperm, or embryos; those diagnosed with severe male-factor infertility or unexplained infertility; those undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT); those who have not undergone embryo transfer within six months after oocyte retrieval; those with severe mental disorders; and those who withdraw from the study.

Participants are will randomly allocated 1:1 by center to either the intervention or control group. Couples in the intervention group will receive five 60-minutes GTI sessions focusing on gender norms, gender equality, and healthy relationship skills, conducted by trained healthcare providers and social workers. The control group will receive standard reproductive care. A total of 376 infertile couples will be enrolled (188 couples per group).

The primary outcome is the IPV rate against infertile women over the past 12 months.