Quality of life of infertile Tunisian couples and differences according to gender

Abstract

Objective: To compare quality-of-life gender differences within infertile couples from Tunisia and between infertile couples and controls.

Methods: The present case-control study included 100 couples with primary infertility who, during 2009, underwent assisted reproductive technology at Farhat Hached Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia, and 100 control couples. The 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was administered to assess quality of life.

Results: Compared with male controls, men in the infertility group had lower scores in the mental dimension (P=0.020), social functioning (P=0.007), and role-emotional (P<0.001) categories of the SF-36. Women in the infertility group had lower mental and physical dimension scores (P<0.001) and lower vitality (P=0.022), social functioning (P<0.001), role-emotional (P<0.001), and mental health (P<0.001) scores than female controls. Within infertile couples, female partners had lower total (P=0.01) and mental dimension (P<0.001) scores than their spouses. Delay of the first consultation was correlated with bodily pain, vitality, and mental health among women in the infertility group.

Conclusion: Women in infertile couples had a lower quality of life than their spouses, and infertile couples had a lower quality of life than controls. These findings confirm the need for psychological support for infertile couples.

Keywords: Assisted reproduction technology; Gender; Infertility; Quality of life; SF-36.