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Tailored support may reduce mental and relational impact of infertility on infertile patients and partners
Open accessAbstract
RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the psychological impact of infertility on infertile patients and partners of infertile patients? DESIGN: This online, international, quantitative survey assessed the impact of infertility on mental health, relationships and daily activities for 1944 respondents. Respondents were male or female infertile patients (n = 1037) or partners to infertile patients (n = 907; not necessarily partners of the patient sample) and were recruited at different stages of the treatment journey. RESULTS: The most common emotions were 'sadness' at infertility diagnosis and 'anxiety' during treatment. Emotions differed in nature and intensity throughout the journey. Envy of others who achieved pregnancy was frequently reported by women. More than half of respondents (60.4%; n = 1174) perceived the infertility journey to have impacted their mental health, and 44.1% (n = 857) of respondents sought mental health support. More patients reported mental health impacts (70.1%, n = 727) than partners (49.3%, n = 447). One in three respondents indicated that their relationship had suffered due to the infertility diagnosis. Of these respondents, 55.0% (n = 409) strongly agreed that infertility caused an emotional strain. Patients more often than partners reported a detrimental impact on daily activities. Respondents most commonly agreed with statements regarding an 'effect on work-life balance'. CONCLUSION: Treatment journey stages are defined by their impact profile, which differs between infertile patients and partners of infertile patients. Negative impacts are diverse (mental health, relational, daily activities). There was disparity between the number of respondents reporting mental health issues and the number seeking mental health support. This indicates the need for support services tailored to different treatment stages.
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E-mental health tools are becoming widespread and may be, to some extent, a helpful alternative to traditional psychological interventions, aligning with patients' needs and preferences.
“These e-mental health tools are becoming widespread and may be, to some extent, a helpful alternative to traditional psychological interventions, aligning with patients’ needs and preferences.26”
From KindMap: an e-mental health tool to promote the well-being and mental health of people facing infertility - study protocol for a feasibility randomised control trial (2024) · cites this paper as [26]
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that respondents used online forums and suggests that their choice of support may reflect preference. It does not establish that e-mental health tools are becoming more widespread or that they are a helpful alternative to traditional psychological interventions; it cautions that general online forums may not alleviate isolation. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Cites
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Cited by
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Carolino, N., Cunha, M., Pinto-Gouveia, J., Gameiro, S., & Galhardo, A. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087447 · Cited by 3
“26 Therefore, developing and evaluating patient-focused e-mental health tools rooted in evidence-based interventions should be a priority.”
Metadata
- Authors
- Boivin, J., Vassena, R., Costa, M., Vegni, E., Dixon, M., Collura, B., Markert, M., Samuelsen, C., Guiglotto, J., Roitmann, E., & Domar, A.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff University (GB)
- University of Milan (IT)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Denmark) (DK)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Boivin, Jacky
- Venue
- Reproductive BioMedicine Online
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-06
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1045-1054
- ISSN
- 1472-6483 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4210811635
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 10.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Reproductive BioMedicine Online (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy
- Keywords
- infertility, psychological impact, mental health, couples, emotional strain, anxiety, sadness, envy, work-life balance, daily activities, mental health support, tailored support
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety, Emotions, Female, Humans, Infertility, Infertility, Female, Male, Pregnancy, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires
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