Depression, Guilt and Isolation among Infertile Women and their Partners

The crisis of infertility has been studied in 30 women with tubal damage and the manner in which it affected their partners over a period of 2 years. Altogether, 4 interviews were carried out with the women, and two with the men. The partners of each couple were interviewed individually on the same day a few weeks before and 2 years after a reconstructive tubal operation. Furthermore, the women were interviewed on the first postoperative day, and 1 month later at the second-look laparoscopy. Most of the symptoms recorded during the interviews could be classified in terms of depression, guilt and isolation. The women generally manifested more depressive symptoms than the men who often suppressed or even denied emotional reactions. Feelings of guilt were more common among the women than among the men. Relatives and friends did not give genuine support — according to the majority of the couples. Pregnant women and other people's children often evoked negative feelings. Social isolation often developed among the infertile women and their partners. In most cases, the crisis of infertility was found to be prolonged, especially among the women. The study indicates that in order to cope with the crisis of infertility, couples require supportive counseling in parallel to the investigation and medical treatment. This counseling should be designed both for the couple as an entity and for the partners separately.