Tailored support may reduce mental and relational impact of infertility on infertile patients and partners

Jacky Boivin,Rita Vassena,Mauro Costa,Elena Vegni,Marjorie Dixon,Barbara Collura,Marie Markert,Carl Samuelsen,Jillian Guiglotto,Eva Roitmann,Alice Domar

doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.01.015

Abstract

Research questionWhat is the psychological impact of infertility on infertile patients and partners of infertile patients? DesignThis online, international, quantitative survey assessed the impact of infertility on mental health, relationships and daily activities for 1944 respondents. Respondents were male or female infertile patients (n = 1037) or partners to infertile patients (n = 907; not necessarily partners of the patient sample) and were recruited at different stages of the treatment journey. ResultsThe most common emotions were ‘sadness’ at infertility diagnosis and ‘anxiety’ during treatment. Emotions differed in nature and intensity throughout the journey. Envy of others who achieved pregnancy was frequently reported by women. More than half of respondents (60.4%; n = 1174) perceived the infertility journey to have impacted their mental health, and 44.1% (n = 857) of respondents sought mental health support. More patients reported mental health impacts (70.1%, n = 727) than partners (49.3%, n = 447). One in three respondents indicated that their relationship had suffered due to the infertility diagnosis. Of these respondents, 55.0% (n = 409) strongly agreed that infertility caused an emotional strain. Patients more often than partners reported a detrimental impact on daily activities. Respondents most commonly agreed with statements regarding an ‘effect on work–life balance’. ConclusionTreatment journey stages are defined by their impact profile, which differs between infertile patients and partners of infertile patients. Negative impacts are diverse (mental health, relational, daily activities). There was disparity between the number of respondents reporting mental health issues and the number seeking mental health support. This indicates the need for support services tailored to different treatment stages.

Highlights

Infertility is a significant clinical issue, estimated to affect 8% to 12% of couples around the world in 2015 (Kumar and Singh, 2015)
This study demonstrates that both infertile patients and their partners experienced a significant impact on their mental health, relationships with partners and activities in their daily lives
These results highlight the need for improved patient care throughout the fertility treatment journey, and for the effects on partners to be taken into consideration

Summary

Introduction

Infertility is a significant clinical issue, estimated to affect 8% to 12% of couples around the world in 2015 (Kumar and Singh, 2015). Infertility is defined as the failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse or due to an impairment of a person's capacity to reproduce either as an individual or with his/her partner (ZegersHochschild et al, 2017) This can have a profound emotional and physiological impact on couples trying to achieve pregnancy, often exacerbated by the complex fertility treatment pathway, which can be daunting to navigate. Some studies have suggested that these effects on mental health may result in secondary disorders with an impact on sexual intercourse and reduce the likelihood of a successful pregnancy (Palomba et al, 2018, Podolska and Bidzan, 2011, Rooney and Domar, 2018).

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