The Tamar Project

Chen Pikholtz Ran | Adi Dabran | Dr. Lilach Marom Haham | Aliza Segev Zahav

The Tamar Project aims to establish a trauma-informed care framework at the fertility clinic at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest public fertility clinic, treating hundreds of women and couples annually.

1 in 3.5 women experiences physical and/or sexual violence. Research shows that these women face infertility at twice the rate of the general population. Nevertheless, 90% of doctors treating these women are unaware of their patients’ history of sexual trauma. This project seeks to integrate trauma-informed care into reproductive health services, ensuring that medical staff recognize and address the impact of trauma on reproductive health.

Many women diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience re-traumatization due to triggers arising during invasive medical procedures and gynecological examinations. Recognizing this challenge highlights the need for a trauma-informed approach in treating these women. This approach emphasizes equal and empowering patient-provider interactions, reinforcing patient autonomy, validating emotional responses, and tailoring treatments to individual needs. By implementing trauma-informed care, the risk of re-traumatization can be reduced, improving treatment adherence, patient well-being, and healthcare provider satisfaction.

The project has two main goals:

1. Training healthcare professionals to provide sensitive care for all women, especially trauma survivors.

2. Developing a patient support system to help women navigate and cope with their medical treatment

   
   

This outstanding project won an expansion grant by the Bor’ot incubator in order to expand the program to other hospitals and clinics in Israel

Project leaders:

Chen Pikholtz Ran - Fertility nurse

Adi Dabran - medical psychology intern

Dr. Lilach Marom Haham - OB-GYN, IVF specialist

Aliza Segev Zahav - a senior fertility nurse, co-founded IVF patient support groups and has led professional training, education, and national standards development in fertility nursing.