Psychological aspects of infertility in women

Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after having tried for at least one year. Infertility is a problem of great significance among millions of couples. In our society, to have a child means living a fulfilled life. Thus, couples who cannot do so feel incomplete. Therefore, infertility is more than just a medical problem. It affects all aspects of life, the most important being mental health. For many years, a person's mental health has been overlooked, but in the past few years, it has gainedimportance that mental health is as significant as physical health, which has also been stated in the WHO definition of health. The relationship between infertility and psychological stress is complex. A person may experience a myriad of psychological problems, of which stress for extended periods is one. Furthermore, it may cause feelings of guilt, emptiness, anxiety, and depression. On the other hand, high levels of psychological distress have been indicated to increase infertility. Women's emotional stress can be indicated as tubal spasms, anovulations, and vaginism. In addition, during ovulation, women can unintentionally avoid sexual intercourse . Women with infertility have a number of psychological commonalities. Although the majority of women appear to enjoy getting pregnant and verbally expressing their desire, they may conceal adverse opinions and fear of pregnancy. These fears may be caused by pregnancy, delivery or maternity. Changing body shape during pregnancy, fear of losing one's life or the child during delivery, or fear of failing as a mother are some of the potential underlying causes of stress. We mainly focus on the need for counseling for couples dealing with infertility and under treatment because of the long waiting periods accompanying it. Although both men and women can contribute to infertility in Iran, women are exclusively held responsible, leading to more significant stress while undergoing treatment. Various studies have shown that delivering psychological support through psychiatric clinical specialists may accentuate the results of IVF (In-vitro fertilization) and ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology). If the IVF treatment fails in the first round, it leads to higher levels of anxiety and depression, which is one reason for the couple to discontinue their treatment. Psychotherapy is the main intervention recommended for couples who suffer from any form of infertility. Ideally, counselling should begin before patients start any medical intervention to help with their infertility.