[Psycho-medical approach to infertility. Suffering from sterility]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Reproductive Medicine
• Psychology

Background:

• The traditional separation of organic and psychogenic causes of infertility is challenged.
• Psychic suffering is identified as a common, often latent, factor in infertility cases.

Observation:

• A collaborative model involving a medical doctor and a psycho-analyst was implemented in an infertility clinic.
• The methodology of joint consultations was detailed, assessing its research suitability.
• Clinical cases gathered over 18 months were synthesized.

Findings:

• A latent psychological conflict consistently underlies infertility complaints.
• Joint consultations facilitate patient expression of preconscious or unconscious fantasies related to sterility.
• Examples of such defenses include Oedipus situations, parthenogenetic fantasies, and fears of bodily harm.

Implications:

• This integrated approach highlights the importance of psychological factors in infertility.
• The findings suggest that psychoanalytic insights can be crucial in understanding and treating infertility.
• This model offers a framework for further research into the psychosomatic aspects of reproductive health.