Date

6-17-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Susanna C. Brooks

Keywords

Infertility, military, stress, active-duty women, military women, reproductive health, hermeneutic phenomenology, Lazarus' Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Infertility can have negative effects on women; military women deal with so much from the military that dealing with infertility is an area that is underdeveloped. This qualitative phenomenological study explored infertility among women serving on active duty, using Lazarus' transactional theory of stress and coping to understand how it affects them. This study was guided by three research questions: (a) What are the lived experiences of women living with infertility who served on active duty in the United States military, (b) How do women living with infertility describe their experience of stress and coping while serving in active duty in the military, and (c) How do women in the military living with infertility describe the services and support received during their service. Data were collected through open-ended, semi-structured interview questions in a virtual setting. The researcher used the video conferencing platform Zoom to conduct the interviews and employed Moustakas' (1994) hermeneutic phenomenology (Peoples, 2021) as a research design. This study was significant to the professionals who are assisting military women who are dealing with infertility, including counselors and mental health professionals, as it informs them about the issues their clients are experiencing. Lastly, this study contributed to the gap in the literature on infertility among military women and their experiences.

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