Sexual and emotional adjustment of couples undergoing infertility investigation and the effectiveness of preparatory information

Abstract

This study examined the psychological adjustment of 39 couples undergoing an infertility medical investigation and compared the effectiveness of three types of informational programs designed to reduce different stresses associated with the investigation. The results revealed that the group which received only descriptive information on the investigative procedure reacted more positively to the investigation than the groups which received additional information pertaining to emotional and sexual reactions to the investigation. It was also demonstrated that couples' baseline psychological profiles could identify those at higher risk for poor adaptation to the investigation. Further-more, baseline anxiety levels were found to be related to achievement of pregnancy at 6 months follow-up. The findings suggest that the infertility investigation does have a negative impact on couples which could in turn influence pregnancy outcome. More controlled studies must be carried out to identify effective stress-management programs for infertile couples.