RESEARCH: Limiting beliefs in females with unexplained infertility | Aisling Killoran Ph.D.

When our team at Lifestyle Prescriptions® University (LPU) Lifestyle Prescriptions® University (LPU) set out to expand evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine and Health Coaching education by developing Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs, we stepped into uncharted territory. We knew it would not be easy to build a rigorous academic structure or to assemble the supervisors and faculty willing to help bring this vision to life.

Today, we are proud to announce that our Ph.D. graduate, Aisling Killoran, Ph.D., has published her research, which is an important milestone for our institution and for the field of Lifestyle Medicine.

This is a wonderful way to begin 2026 and a powerful signal of what lies ahead: Lifestyle Medicine for EVERYONE.

By Aisling M. Killoran, Ph.D.
Lifestyle Prescriptions® University 2024 Ph.D. Graduate

ABSTRACT

Background and objectives.

Unexplained primary infertility is frequently associated with psychological distress, maladaptive cognitive patterns, and limiting beliefs that may affect emotional well-being and fertility-related behavior.

Within lifestyle medicine (LM), stress management, emotional regulation, and cognitive restructuring are recognized pillars contributing to overall health and reproductive well-being. The research used quantitative methods, including the Fertility Belief Questionnaire (FBQ) – a tool developed to quantify infertility-related beliefs – to examine whether energy emotional freedom techniques (energy EFT), a structured mind–body intervention, can help reduce limiting beliefs and emotional intensity in women with unexplained infertility.

Materials and methods.

Thirty-five women aged 35–45 who had been trying to conceive for ≥2 years were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 17) and a control group (n = 18). The intervention group attended two online energy EFT sessions supported by instructional tapping materials.

Data were collected through a secure study website hosting the FBQ, administered at baseline and one-month follow-up, while SUE ratings were obtained immediately before and after each tapping exercise. Mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for FBQ item-level scores; FBQ total and SUE changes were evaluated using t-tests, and item-level FBQ analyses were exploratory.

Results.

Participants in the intervention group demonstrated greater reductions in negative beliefs about infertility than those in the control group, as well as marked decreases in SUE-rated emotional intensity associated with infertility (mean change −4.2, p < 0.001). Improvements were maintained at one-month follow-up.

Conclusions.

Energy EFT may be an effective LM-aligned behavioral intervention for addressing limiting beliefs and reducing emotional distress in women with unexplained infertility. These findings support integrating structured emotional-regulation approaches within fertility-related care and justify further investigation through larger, blinded, and prospectively registered trials.

Read the full published LPU Clinical Study paper here!

Corresponding author: Aisling Killoran E-mail: aislingkilloran@outlook.ie

Article History: Received: 30 October 2025 - Accepted: 24 November 2025