Psychological evaluation of infertile couples: Results of a questionnaire survey

Abstract

Introduction: Infertility is a global problem with a wide range of sociocultural, emotional, physical, and financial problems. This study aims to identify couples, with an unfulfilled desire for a child, who require psychological support. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 158 couples were selected who filled up the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 19 questions, 15 in the psychological evaluation test (PET) to detect emotional reactions to the infertility-related stressors and four close-ended questions to find out the couple's attitudes toward childbearing and their future. The data were statistically analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test and Fischer's exact test, with the level of significance at 5%. Results: The mean age of the men was 35.2 ± 3.5 years, while that of the women was 28.4 ± 2.8 years. Male infertility was diagnosed in 28 couples, female infertility in 47, both male and female infertility in 12, and the remaining 71 couples were either not diagnosed or had unexplained infertility. The mean years of married life was 5.6 ± 3.2 years. Of all the couples, 148 were diagnosed with primary infertility and 10 had secondary infertility. The mean positron emission tomography (PET) score for women and men of 28.3 ± 8.4 and 25.6 ± 7.2, respectively, was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Both women and men give great importance to the inability to bear a child; they were supportive of their spouse, but social stimuli provoked their stress. Women were more emotional and sensitive when personal feelings were considered. PET score >30 required additional psychological support to cope with normal life.