Infertility

Infertility is the inability to naturally conceive a child or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. There are many reasons why a couple may not be able to conceive, or may not be able to conceive without medical assistance.

Psychological impact

Infertility may have a profound psychological affects. Partners may become more anxious to conceive, ironically increasing sexual dysfunction. Marital discord often develops in infertile couples, especially when they are under pressure to make medical decisions. Women trying to conceive often have clinical depression rates similar to women who have heart disease or cancer{{fn|4}}.

Related Topics:
Sexual dysfunction - Clinical depression

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A lot of women find themselves to be in-between worlds, so to speak. That is, infertile couples would be abnormal and fertile couples are normal. It?s about ?us? vs. ?them,? and infertile women would often compare themselves to fertile women. Such social comparisons permitted both self-evaluation and self-enhancement; they allowed women to determine where they ?fit into the scheme of things? and to find the ?slide rule? that would enable them to measure whether they were better or worse off, or ?at least equal to everybody else.?

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If infertility treatment is unsuccessful after several attempts, the most difficult decision a couple faces is whether to keep trying this or another treatment, or to discontinue treatment.

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