{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T18:56:44Z","timestamp":1790017004817,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,27]],"date-time":"2026-04-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777248000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":26,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Infertility is a global health concern affecting 10%\u201315% of couples, often accompanied by profound psychological distress for women. Various psychological interventions being trialled in this population, outcomes have been mixed, underscoring the need for innovative therapeutic approaches. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, originally developed for trauma-related conditions, is a promising alternative. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in reducing infertility-related distress and improving psychological well-being among women undergoing fertility treatment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods and analysis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This is a randomised crossover trial with two groups: an immediate EMDR therapy treatment group and a waitlist control group. 64 women who meet eligibility criteria for infertility-related psychological distress will be randomly assigned (1:1) using block randomisation. The intervention consists of 6\u2009weekly EMDR sessions delivered by an accredited EMDR practitioner. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Outcomes include infertility-related distress measured by the Infertility Distress Scale (IDS) and Fertility Quality of Life scale (FertiQoL), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), trauma symptoms measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Impact of Event Scale \u2013 Revised (IES-R), psychological well-being measured by Ryff\u2019s Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), self-esteem measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), general health measured by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and coping strategies measured by the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE). A qualitative component using reflexive thematic analysis will explore participants\u2019 subjective experiences of EMDR and infertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Ethics and dissemination<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This trial has received ethical approval from the RMIT University Human Research Ethics Committee (2025-28286-27180). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and participant summaries. All participants will provide written informed consent, and those in the waitlist group will receive the intervention following the initial study period, aligning with ethical principles of beneficence and justice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Trial registration number<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>ACTRN12624001289505p.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-104683","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,27]],"date-time":"2026-04-27T14:05:15Z","timestamp":1777298715000},"page":"e104683","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in reducing infertility distress in women: a community-based randomised crossover trial protocol"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1704-5439","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patricia Lisa","family":"Jackson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Saunders","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3346-566X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simone","family":"Mizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0495-5341","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karen Tracey","family":"Hallam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/dem046"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9566.2009.01213.x"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpobgyn.2006.12.003"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3892\/etm.2021.9737","article-title":"The complex relationship between infertility and psychological distress (Review)","volume":"21","author":"Simionescu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exp Ther Med"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1873","DOI":"10.2147\/PRBM.S411740","article-title":"Differences in Fertility-Related Quality of Life and Emotional Status Among Women Undergoing Different IVF Treatment Cycles","volume":"16","author":"Ni","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol Res Behav Manag"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1824","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deaf162","article-title":"Patient distress and its negative impact on treatment continuation: do psychological interventions have a significant impact?","volume":"40","author":"Awtrey","year":"2025","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-050373","article-title":"Infertility-related distress and clinical targets for psychotherapy: a qualitative study","volume":"11","author":"Dube","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.8","first-page":"189","article-title":"Infertility Stigma: A Qualitative Study on Feelings and Experiences of Infertile Women","volume":"15","author":"Taebi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/dev299"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/aja.2011.72"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rbmo.2013.06.002"},{"key":"2026042707050852000_16.4.e104683.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Clifton J , Domar AD . 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