Infertility treatment failure often devastating

More couples then ever are realizing their dreams of creating a family with the help of new treatments like IVF, ICSI, egg/sperm donation and cryopreservation. For an unfortunate few though even these breakthroughs don’t help.

Studies are showing the effects on the men and women are more devastating than previously known. Research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden pulls together information from interviews and surveys with men and women who had, two years prior, gone through IVF treatments without resulting pregnancy.

For women, the study revealed that they experience long term bereavement. The men described the experience as work, like climbing a mountain step by step, but never reaching the top. Men expressed some frustration with the focus of the experience going to their female partners while they were marginalized. The men also expressed their feelings of protectiveness for their wives and families and a sense of ultimate responsibility for the failure.

Another part of the study looked at couples five years out from unsuccessful IVF treatment and analyzed quality of life, well-being and health. They compared that data with couples who did achieve pregnancy or later adopted.

Approximately 77% of those couples who participated in public sector IVF treatment after five years had children. Biological children comprised 40% of those, usually with subsequent private sector IVF, and 35% had adopted.

The balance of childless couples had significantly poorer quality of life. “They perceived their infertility as central to their lives and above all that quality of life amongst men without children was more negatively affected than had been previously reported in studies of involuntary childlessness,” stated Marianne Johansson, researcher and midwife at the Institute of Health and are Sciences.

Johansson actually went on to recommend more careful selection of couples who go through IVF. Perhaps couples who had insurmountable fertility issues were getting their hopes up and she advised a more realistic approach. She also emphasized a stronger awareness of the men and more attention to their emotional investment in the process.

Source: University of Gothenburg, Medical News Today