New research published in Reproductive Biomedicine, has found that 60% of people believe that the diagnosis and treatment of infertility has impacted  their mental health. This impact on mental health has been found to increase with treatment  duration and number of unsuccessful attempts. In addition to the impact on individual mental health,  one in three indicate that an infertility diagnosis caused their relationship to suffer and, of those,  over half (55%, n=409) believe it has caused an emotional strain.1 

Infertility is a significant clinical issue, estimated to affect 1 in 6 couples globally.2,3 The research  from international experts in reproductive medicine and psychology, analysed the experience of  nearly 2000 men and women (including both heterosexual and same-sex couple perspectives) from  across the world, at a range of stages in their infertility journeys as part of a larger cross-sectional  study to explore the overall time taken to progress through the infertility journey and the impact it  has on all aspects of patients’ and partners’ lives.1 

The analyses, led by Cardiff University, in collaboration with Ferring Pharmaceuticals, found that  both men and women experience a complex range of emotions; including “sadness” at infertility  diagnosis and “anxiety” during treatment. The study highlighted significant differences in the nature  and intensity of emotions experienced at different stages of treatment. “Depression and defeat”,  “isolation” and “stigma”* were significantly more prevalent at diagnosis than during treatment  (p<0.001) for example, but the impact on mental health increased with treatment duration and  number of unsuccessful pregnancy attempts.1 

The study highlighted a clear disparity between those experiencing a mental health impact and  those seeking support.

      • More than half (60.4%; n=1,174) perceived infertility journey to have impacted their mental  health.1 

• Less than half (44%) reported seeking mental health services during their infertility journey.1

• Only a third (32%) looked to online support (groups and forums).1 

• Less than a quarter (22%) sought support from a local group.1 

The gap between the number of women and men with impacted mental health compared to those  that sought help, highlights the need for a renewed focus on the psychological support offered to all  individuals in their family building journeys.1  

In addition to assessing the various stages of treatment, the study also looked at the different  parties involved in the fertility journey. “There is an unmet need in understanding the impact of  infertility in key demographics of people such as male patients and partners of infertile patients. These perspectives are often neglected in research and in care, which can have serious  implications when we consider a third of infertility issues are due to issues in male reproductive  ability, a third is due to women and a third remains unknown” said, Kira Dalgaard, Vice President  and Global Head of Medical Affairs, Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. She continued “At Ferring we believe in everyone’s right to a family but recognise  that not everyone’s family building journey is simple or straightforward. This study has highlighted  the complexities and impact of the emotions experienced by all those involved, at all stages of  diagnosis and treatment, and has renewed our commitment to provide mental health support for  everyone on their unique fertility journey.” 

To avoid long term effects on patients, these results indicate that negative feelings should be  specifically addressed by healthcare professionals and tailored to the individual’s needs during the  stage of the treatment journey at which the feelings are most significant. A greater emphasis on  mental health support for couples who have undergone multiple treatment cycles is also evident. 

The most common source of support noted in the study was “my partner”. While support from  friends and family is important, this finding highlights a need for better provision of - or education  around the availability of - external sources of support for infertile patients and their partners,  including both patient support tools and counsellors. For patients experiencing isolation or  loneliness, there could be increased education by the healthcare professional team around the  availability of patient support groups or online forums to enable patients to connect with others  experiencing similar emotions. “It is encouraging that over half of responders (53%) were offered or  recommended mental health support by a healthcare practitioner, but we need to do more.  Improved, tailored patient care is required throughout the entire patient journey, and for the effects  on partners to be taken into consideration,” said Professor Jacky Boivin, lead study author from  Cardiff University. 

The full research findings are now available in Reproductive BioMedicine Online:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.01.015.  

References: 

1. Boivin J et al. Tailored support may be required to reduce the impact of the infertility journey  on mental health, relationships and daily lives of infertile patients and partners to infertile  patients. Reproductive Biomedicine online. March 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.01.015 

2. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, ART Factsheet 2018. Available  at: https://www.eshre.eu/Press-Room/Resources. Last accessed March 2022.

3. World Health Organization. Infertility. Available https://www.who.int/health topics/infertility#tab=tab_1. Last accessed March 2022. 

4. Domar A et al. Barriers and factors associated with significant delays to initial consultation  and treatment for infertile patients and partners of infertile patients. Reproductive  Biomedicine online. September 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.09.002. Last  accessed March 2022.