Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of infertility treated women as it can affect the effectiveness of therapy. This cross-sectional study was conducted with Abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), Fertility Quality of Life tool (FertiQoL) and an author’s questionnaire. The study included 1200 women treated for infertility without the use of assisted reproductive technology (non-ART), intrauterine insemination (IUI), or in vitro fertilization (IVF). The control group was 100 healthy women who had children. The time to conceive did not significantly differ between study groups and was 3.1–3.6 years, on average. The quality of life in the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire data significantly differed between study groups and the control (physical domain p < 0.001, psychological p = 0.009; social p = 0.004; environmental p < 0.001). A significant effect was found in 4 FertiQoL subscales: emotional, biological, partnership, and attitude towards treatment; depending on the method of treatment. Women who received non-ART treatment evaluated their QoL in significantly more negative terms in these 4 subscales, compared to those treated with IVF. The quality of life depends on reproductive problems, methods of infertility treatment, age, place of residence, and education level. Prolongation of the duration of treatment unfavourably affects the quality of life. The quality of life of women undergoing infertility treatment differs according to the mode of work and having children from a previous relationship.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilToday, nearly every fifth couple at reproductive age experiences problems with having children, and the World Health Organization considers infertility as a social disability [1].From the social perspective, being childless is the reason for considering a marriage as dysfunctional
400 women were treated without the use of assisted reproductive technology techniques, 400 were treated using the intrauterine insemination method (IUI), 400 women were treated with the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF)
The mean age of the examined women who had children was 33.7 years, similar to those treated using IVF, whereas infertile women treated without the use of assisted reproductive technology techniques and those treated using IUI
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilToday, nearly every fifth couple at reproductive age experiences problems with having children, and the World Health Organization considers infertility as a social disability [1].From the social perspective, being childless is the reason for considering a marriage as dysfunctional. Nearly every fifth couple at reproductive age experiences problems with having children, and the World Health Organization considers infertility as a social disability [1]. In every society there is an axiological-normative system according to which its members should act. From a sociological point of view, childlessness is treated in society as a deviation, a deviation from the norm or a stigma. The knowledge of norms and stereotypes influences the fact that infertility is negatively assessed by the spouses themselves, even when they have not experienced, and do not directly experience, labelling and social reaction. The stigmatization of infertility occurs through the social evaluation it is subjected to, and through the pressure to become parents to which the spouses are directly subjected by their immediate environment: relatives, friends, and acquaintances [2].
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