Abstract

THE ROLE OF INFERTILITY AS A THREATENING FACTOR OF MARRIED LIFE BASED ON INFERTILE COUPLES’ STANDPOINT

Afsane Sharafiyan, Poorandokht Afshari*, Parvane Mousavi, Elahe Kaboli Hosein

Abstract

Background: Experience of infertility, which has been called crisis by some ones, is a common problem which is accompanied by physical, economic, psychological and social stress and affects all aspects of people’s life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of infertility as a threatening factor of married life based on infertile couples’ standpoint. Method: In this descriptive-analytical study 150 infertile couples (two groups of couples; in one group 75 infertile males and in another 75 infertile females), who were referring to Ahvaz Jihad Daneshgahi infertility treatment centers which were selected using available sampling method, were investigated. Data were gathered in face to face interviews using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts of demographic data and infertility information. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and Chi-square test. Results: The average age of men was 35 and the average age of women was 30. 7.6 percent of the men and 12.4 percent of the women looked at infertility as an end for their married life. There is a statistically significant correlation between the infertility treatment methods and considering infertility as a threat to marriage (P=0.046, p = 0.002) and those women who were infertile and had taken medicine for treatment thought of infertility as a threat to their married life. Conclusion: The results of this study, such as the results of other studies in this field, indicate that infertility effects on women more than men and women have more social and psychological problems which are needed to be addressed separately using special programs.

Keywords: Infertility, Mental health, Ahvaz.