Is perceived inability to procreate associated with life satisfaction? Evidence from a German panel study

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Demography

Background:

• Most infertility research focuses on those seeking medical treatment, neglecting the general population's psychosocial experiences.
• Cross-sectional studies on infertility often suffer from omitted variable bias, limiting causal inference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the psychosocial consequences of perceived inability to procreate in the general population.
• To analyze the impact of perceived infertility on life satisfaction using longitudinal data.
• To explore gender and life circumstance differences in the association between perceived infertility and life satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 10 waves of data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) for both women and men.
• Employed fixed effects panel regression analysis to control for unobserved heterogeneity.
• Included time-varying control variables informed by theory and prior research.

Main Results:

• Perceived inability to procreate was associated with lower life satisfaction for both women and men.
• This association remained significant after controlling for relevant time-varying factors.
• The impact of perceived infertility on life satisfaction varied by gender and life circumstances, such as partnership status and desire for children.

Conclusions:

• Perceived infertility negatively affects life satisfaction across the general population, irrespective of medical treatment seeking.
• Understanding these psychosocial consequences is crucial for addressing family creation decisions and potential use of assisted reproductive technologies.
• The study highlights the importance of longitudinal, individual-fixed effects analyses in understanding the complex relationship between procreation perceptions and well-being.