Psychological stress and infertility. Part 2: Psychometric test data

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Psychology
• Infertility Studies

Background:

• Functional infertility lacks a clear organic cause, raising questions about potential psychological factors.
• Previous research has explored the link between infertility and personality, with varied findings.
• Understanding the psychological profile of infertile women is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether female patients with functional infertility exhibit greater personality maladjustment compared to those with organic reproductive pathology.
• To compare the personality traits of functionally infertile women with a control group of normally fertile women.

Main Methods:

• Utilized four distinct personality questionnaires to assess psychological differences.
• Compared personality subscores across three groups: functional infertility, organic infertility, and normal fertility (wives of sterile men).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in personality maladjustment were observed between the functional and organic infertility groups.
• The normally fertile group scored higher on extraversion than both infertile groups.
• The normally fertile group exhibited lower self-control scores compared to the infertile groups.

Conclusions:

• The study did not find evidence to support the hypothesis of increased personality maladjustment in functional infertility.
• Personality profiles of functional and organic infertility groups were similar.
• Fertile women in the control group displayed distinct personality traits (higher extraversion, lower self-control) compared to infertile women.