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Psychological consequences of a diagnosis of infertility in men: a systematic analysis

Authors :
Sarah N Biggs
Jane Halliday
Karin Hammarberg
Source :
Asian Journal of Andrology, Vol 26, Iss 1, Pp 10-19 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2024.

Abstract

Almost half of infertility cases involve male infertility. Understanding the consequence of a diagnosis of male infertility, as a sole or partial contributor to the couples' infertility, to the mental health of men is required to ensure clinical care meets their psychological needs. The aim of this systematic analysis was to synthesize the evidence regarding whether men diagnosed with male factor infertility experience greater psychological distress than (1) men described as fertile and (2) men in couples with other infertility diagnoses. Online databases were searched using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) headings and keywords relating to male infertility and psychological distress. The search yielded 1016 unique publications, of which 23 were included: 8 case–control, 14 prospective cohort, and 1 data linkage studies. Seven aspects of psychological distress were identified depression, anxiety, self-esteem, quality of life, fertility-related stress, general psychological stress or well-being, and psychiatric conditions. Case–control studies reported that men with male factor infertility have more symptoms of depression, anxiety and general psychological distress, worse quality of some aspects of life, and lower self-esteem than controls. When men with male factor infertility were compared to men in couples with other causes of infertility, there were few differences in the assessed aspects of psychological distress. Despite methodological limitations within the studies, this systematic analysis suggests that the experience of infertility, irrespective of its cause, negatively affects men's mental health and demonstrates the need for assisted reproduction technology (ART) providers to consider men undergoing assisted reproduction as individuals with their own unique support needs.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1008682X and 17457262
Volume :
26
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Asian Journal of Andrology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.81b580ffb314f6daf95ff43de2f7700
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.4103/aja202334