The effect of infertility counseling interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction of infertile couples: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Background: Psychological consequences of infertility could have a negative effect on marital and sexual satisfaction. Numerous medical associations have strongly recommended psychological interventions, including counseling, to help infertile couples. Objective: This study reviewed the effectiveness of counseling interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction in infertile couples. Materials and Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Psych Info, Cochran Library, Scopus, and Embase were searched for relevant articles published up to March 2020. All randomized clinical trials assessing the impact of psychological interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction in infertile couples were included in the review. The outcome measures were marital and sexual satisfaction, and the pooled estimate of the effects was calculated using a random-effects model. The risk of bias was measured using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the summary measures were reported as 95% confidence interval and percentage of heterogeneity. Results: Out of the 309 studies found through the search, 13 randomized clinical trials including 230 infertile women and 512 infertile couples were systematically reviewed and included in the meta-analysis. It was found that counseling interventions improve marital and sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: As counseling and psychological interventions increase the marital and sexual satisfaction of infertile couples, those are highly recommended for the psychological management of infertile couples. Key words: Infertility, Psychosocial intervention, Counseling, Sexual satisfaction, Systematic review, Meta-analysis, Couples.
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One existing systematic review focused on the Middle East context.
“and the last review focused on the Middle East context [66].”
From Psychosocial interventions for improving marital intimacy, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life of women and couples with infertility problems in low and middle-income countries: Systematic review protocol (2025) · cites this paper as [66]
The Results (Study selection and characteristics; page unavailable) show that 12 of 13 included studies were conducted in Iran or Iraq, so the review’s evidence is predominantly from the Middle East. But one study was conducted in China, and the Methods (Inclusion criteria; page unavailable) do not restrict the review to that region. The source therefore supports a predominantly Middle Eastern evidence base, not an explicitly Middle East-focused review. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSome primary studies have investigated the role of psychosocial interventions on marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction, but the results are fragmented and inconclusive.
“Some primary studies have investigated the role of psychosocial interventions on marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction, but the results are fragmented and inconclusive [66,67].”
From Psychosocial interventions for improving marital intimacy, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life of women and couples with infertility problems in low and middle-income countries: Systematic review protocol (2025) · cites this paper as [66]
The Results (Study selection and characteristics) confirm that primary studies examined counseling interventions and marital and sexual satisfaction in infertile couples. The Results (Effect of counseling interventions) report substantial between-study heterogeneity, which supports describing the evidence as fragmented, but the paper concludes that counseling had positive effects on both outcomes rather than calling the results inconclusive. It measures marital satisfaction, not marital intimacy specifically. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThree existing systematic reviews that investigated psychosocial interventions among infertile couples were retrieved.
“To ensure this systematic review is not duplicating existing reviews, searches were conducted in relevant databases, and three existing systematic reviews that investigated psychosocial interventions among infertile couples were retrieved [66–68].”
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Cites
Sterne, J. A., Egger, M., & Moher, D. (2008) · Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions · doi:10.1002/9780470712184.ch10 · Cited by 651 · see citing works
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“Moreover, the results of another systematic review and meta-analysis, which examined the effectiveness of psychosocial and psycho-cognitive interventions on infertile men and women, showed that these interventions could be effective for infertile couples, reduce their marital distress, and improve their marital relati…”
ResultAbedi Shargh, N., Bakhshani, N. M., Mohebbi, M. D., Mahmudian, K., Ahovan, M., Mokhtari, M., & Gangali, A. (2015) · Global Journal of Health Science · doi:10.5539/gjhs.v8n3p230 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Oppong, S. S., Naab, F., Duah, I. O., Ankamah, S., Owiredu, D., Ametor, F. H., Imakando, M. M., Kyei, J. M., & Danso-Appiah, A. (2025) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0335068
- Authors
- Alirezaei, S., Taghipour, A., & Latifnejad Roudsari, R.
- Affiliations
- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Venue
- International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM)
- Publisher
- Knowledge E DMCC
- Published
- 2022-11-02
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 795-806
- ISSN
- 1680-6433 (ISSN-L)
- 2476-3772
- 2476-4108
- PMC
- PMC9644646
- OpenAlex
- W4308318384
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 0.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Keywords
- infertility counseling, infertile couples, marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, psychological intervention, infertility
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