Women's experience of infertility &amp; treatment – A silent grief and failed care and support

Assaysh-Öberg, Shereen; Borneskog, Catrin; Ternström, Elin

doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100879

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…While infertility and discomfortable infertility treatments such as ICSI can lead to depression [ 26 ], isolation [ 26 , 27 ], and hopelessness [ 26 , 28 ] in women, evidence on the psychosocial impact of infertility on men remains limited and inconclusive. Studies conducted in the 1990s showed that men are psychologically less affected by infertility than are women [ 29 , 30 ], while more recent studies showed that the impact is nearly balanced, suggesting that infertility also affects men’s psychological well-being [ 31 – 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychosocial impact of male infertility on men undergoing ICSI treatment: a qualitative study

de Vries,

Veerman-Verweij,

van den Hoogen

et al. 2024

Reprod Health

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Background Male infertility is in 20–70% of cases the cause of a couple’s infertility. Severe forms of male infertility are best treated with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). The psychosocial impact of infertility and ICSI on men is unclear because the focus is socially, clinically, and scientifically on women. However, there is evidence that it can affect the psychological well-being of men, but these studies are mainly quantitative. Qualitative research needed to explore the experiences of infertile men in-depth is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to clarify the psychosocial consequences of male infertility on men undergoing ICSI to understand their experiences with reproduction problems more comprehensively. Methods In this generic qualitative study, men who were undergoing or had undergone ICSI after a male factor infertility diagnosis were included. A purposive sample with maximum variation was sought in a fertility clinic of one university medical centre in the Netherlands. Data were collected through individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the data. Results Nineteen Dutch men were interviewed. The mean duration of the interviews was 90 min. An everyday contributing backpack was identified as the main theme, as men indicated that they always carried the psychosocial consequences of infertility and ICSI with them. Different world perspective, Turbulence of emotions, Changing relation, and Selective sharing were the psychosocial consequences that men were most affected by. Moreover, men indicated that they were Searching for contribution during ICSI because the focus was entirely on the woman. Conclusion Men with male infertility experience psychosocial problems due to infertility and ICSI treatment. Healthcare professionals need to recognize the impact of infertility on men and create room for a role for them during ICSI.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychosocial impact of male infertility on men undergoing ICSI treatment: a qualitative study

de Vries,

Veerman-Verweij,

van den Hoogen

et al. 2024

Reprod Health

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Repeated ovarian hyperstimulation promotes depression-like behavior in female mice

Sampaio,

Santos,

Damasceno

et al. 2024

Hormones and Behavior

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Association of living environmental and occupational factors with semen quality in chinese men: a cross-sectional study

Mai,

Ke,

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Sperm quality can be easily influenced by living environmental and occupational factors. This study aimed to discover potential semen quality related living environmental and occupational factors, expand knowledge of risk factors for semen quality, strengthen men's awareness of protecting their own fertility and assist the clinicians to judge the patient’s fertility. 465 men without obese or underweight (18.5 < BMI < 28.5 kg/m2), long-term medical history and history of drug use, were recruited between June 2020 to July 2021, they are in reproductive age (25 < age < 45 years). We have collected their semen analysis results and clinical information. Logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association of semen quality with different factors. We found that living environment close to high voltage line (283.4 × 106/ml vs 219.8 × 106/ml, Cohen d = 0.116, P = 0.030) and substation (309.1 × 106/ml vs 222.4 × 106/ml, Cohen d = 0.085, P = 0.015) will influence sperm count. Experienced decoration in the past 6 months was a significant factor to sperm count (194.2 × 106/ml vs 261.0 × 106/ml, Cohen d = 0.120, P = 0.025). Living close to chemical plant will affect semen PH (7.5 vs 7.2, Cohen d = 0.181, P = 0.001). Domicile close to a power distribution room will affect progressive sperm motility (37.0% vs 34.0%, F = 4.773, Cohen d = 0.033, P = 0.030). Using computers will affect both progressive motility sperm (36.0% vs 28.1%, t = 2.762, Cohen d = 0.033, P = 0.006) and sperm total motility (57.0% vs 41.0%, Cohen d = 0.178, P = 0.009). After adjust for potential confounding factors (age and BMI), our regression model reveals that living close to high voltage line is a risk factor for sperm concentration (Adjusted OR 4.03, 95% CI 1.15–14.18, R2 = 0.048, P = 0.030), living close to Chemical plants is a protective factor for sperm concentration (Adjusted OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05–0.46, R2 = 0.048, P = 0.001) and total sperm count (Adjusted OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.13–0.99, R2 = 0.026, P = 0.049). Time spends on computer will affect sperm total motility (Adjusted OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.11–4.73, R2 = 0.041, P = 0.025). Sum up, our results suggested that computer using, living and working surroundings (voltage line, substation and chemical plants, transformer room), and housing decoration may association with low semen quality. Suggesting that some easily ignored factors may affect male reproductive ability. Couples trying to become pregnant should try to avoid exposure to associated risk factors. The specific mechanism of risk factors affecting male reproductive ability remains to be elucidated.

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Women's experience of infertility & treatment – A silent grief and failed care and support

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

The psychosocial impact of male infertility on men undergoing ICSI treatment: a qualitative study

The psychosocial impact of male infertility on men undergoing ICSI treatment: a qualitative study

Repeated ovarian hyperstimulation promotes depression-like behavior in female mice

Association of living environmental and occupational factors with semen quality in chinese men: a cross-sectional study

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