Mobile Health Support Before Oocyte Pick-Up in Infertile Women

Overview

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the OPUCARE system, a structured mobile health application used before oocyte pick-up (OPU), on medication adherence and quality of life in infertile women. The study will also examine the possible effect of the intervention on state anxiety. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group will receive routine clinical care plus the OPUCARE system. The control group will receive routine clinical care and standard written and verbal information provided by the clinic, without mobile health application support. The intervention period will last approximately 2 weeks, from the start of medication treatment until oocyte pick-up. Medication adherence, quality of life, and state anxiety will be assessed before and after the intervention period.

This study is planned as a prospective, two-arm, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the OPUCARE system in infertile women during the period before oocyte pick-up (OPU). The study is based on a quantitative research approach and will use a pretest-posttest control group design. The study population will consist of infertile women scheduled for OPU at a university hospital infertility clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. The sample size was determined by power analysis. According to the analysis performed using G\*Power 3.1.9.7, at least 27 participants are required in each group. Considering possible attrition, 30 participants will be recruited for each group, for a total sample size of 60 participants. Eligible participants who provide written informed consent will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention group or the control group using a computer-generated randomization list prepared in advance. Because of the nature of the intervention, blinding of participants and implementers will not be possible. To reduce bias, data collection time points will be standardized, the same measurement tools will be applied to both groups in the same order, and analyses will be conducted according to a predefined statistical plan. Participants in the intervention group will receive routine clinical care plus the OPUCARE system. Participants in the control group will receive routine clinical care and standard written and verbal information provided by the clinic, without mobile health application support. The OPUCARE system consists of two components: a patient-facing mobile support application and a clinic panel that allows healthcare professionals to monitor coded patient data. The patient application includes medication reminders, treatment process information, administration guidance, side effect management content, motivational messages, and an OPU countdown. The clinic panel enables secure monitoring of coded data such as medication adherence percentage, daily log-in frequency, module completion rates, and basic follow-up indicators. The intervention period will last approximately 2 weeks, from the start of medication treatment until OPU. The primary outcomes of the study are medication adherence and fertility-related quality of life. State anxiety will be evaluated as a secondary psychosocial outcome. In addition, system usage indicators and user satisfaction with OPUCARE will be assessed in the intervention group.