Psychological impact of infertility: identifying issues and needs

During interviews, married couples experiencing infertility reported emotional reactions such as sadness, depression, anger, confusion, desperation, hurt, embarrassment, and humiliation. Behavioral reactions to infertility included disorganization, distractability, exhaustion, moodiness and obsessive thoughts and behaviors. Participants also described multiple sources of stress and utilized a variety of coping strategies. Implications for social work clinical and research practitioners are discussed.