Role of allied health professionals in fertility care: a scoping review
Mackay, Amanda, Taylor, Selina, Anderson, Emma, and Glass, Beverley (2025) Role of allied health professionals in fertility care: a scoping review. Human Fertility, 28 (1). 2480074.
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Abstract
Infertility significantly impacts people worldwide, with many pursuing medical treatments including Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). This scoping review explores the role of allied health professionals (AHPs) in fertility care and their integration into fertility care teams. A search of six databases yielded 12 studies identifying dietitians, nutritionists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, and physical therapists (physiotherapists) as key AHPs in fertility care. The role of AHPs was broadly divided into two main areas: providing education and monitoring related to lifestyle modifications and fertility risk factors and offering psychological and psychosocial treatment and support. Dietitians educate patients on nutrition and lifestyle modifications to improve fertility. Mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, and counsellors, address the emotional stress of infertility and help patients cope with ART. Physical therapists perform therapies to increase chances of conception. The integration of AHPs into fertility care teams vary by location and facility practices with some working within healthcare teams and others independently. Despite guidelines, the incorporation of AHPs into fertility care is inconsistent, highlighting the need for a standardized approach. This review highlights AHP roles in providing education, lifestyle modification guidance, and psychosocial support which are valuable in enhancing patient care and potentially improving ART outcomes.
| Item ID: | 88405 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1742-8149 |
| Keywords: | allied health, assisted reproductive technologies, fertility care, Infertility, in vitro fertilization, IVF, role |
| Copyright Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Apr 2026 06:19 |
| FoR Codes: | 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science > 420199 Allied health and rehabilitation science not elsewhere classified @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 20 HEALTH > 2003 Provision of health and support services > 200301 Allied health therapies (excl. mental health services) @ 100% |
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