Infertility, ART and Parenting

Question 1

• Infertility definition and stats

Answer 1

o Failure to conceive after 12 months of trying (WHO)
 Female factor 34% - e.g. blocked felopian tube
 Male 34% - low sperm
 m/f combined – 14%
 unexplained – 22%
o treatment only has 30% success rate

Question 2

• impact of infertility on an individuals’ self-esteem

Answer 2

o women
 socio-cultural norms
o men
 potency, fertility and virility are interlinked in the minds of men and society

Question 3

• impact of infertility on an individuals’ sexuality

Answer 3

o most couples report adverse effect on sex life
o threatens sexual self-esteem
o sex a burden, planned and performance anxiety that can lead to other sexual issues

Question 4

• How does infertility lead to social isolation?

Answer 4

o Feel out of sync with peer group

Question 5

• Impact of fertility on general health and well-being

Answer 5

o Conceptualised as a chronic health problem
o Long term infertility is associated with lower quality of life & well-being for both men and women
 And emotional distress for women
o Depression and anxiety elevated

Question 6

• Impact of infertility on relationship

Answer 6

o Blame/guilt – related to male/female factor diagnosis
 Sexual difficulties
 Emotional intensity may vary
 Disagreement regarding treatment
• Donor sperm
 Inequality in impact of treatment
• Most happens to women even if it’s the male’s problem
 Social isolation – secrecy
o May strengthen relationships for couples who manage these stressors well

Question 7

• IVF as infertility treatment - process

Answer 7

o Medical investigations
o Pharmacologically induced ovulation stimulation
o Ultrasound and blood monitoring of egg maturity
o Further hormonal stimulation via injection
o Laparoscopic egg collection and collection of a male sperm sample form the male partner
o Fertilised embryo then implanted into uterus

Question 8

• Infertility treatments other than IVF

Answer 8

o ICSI – puts needle with sperm straight into egg
o Donor sperm, eggs, gametes
o Embryo adoption
o Surrogacy

Question 9

• Effects of parenting after infertility/ART – hypotheses

Answer 9

o Depleted psychologically
o Unrealistic expectations
o Trying too hard
o Highly motivated

Question 10

• Parenting after infertility/ART – results

Answer 10

o Lower self-esteem/efficacy early on
o Normal outcomes for children
o More protective, see child as more vulnerable
o More likely to seek help with parenting
o Some report more positive feelings toward child
o Protective factors – SES and children ‘wanted’

Question 11

• When to tell child about donor sperm?

Answer 11

o 10% disclosed by adolescence, similar re eggs and embryos
o Parents fear jeopardising relationship with child
o Early disclosure leads to neutral/curious responses
o Adolescence – negative responses