Infertility: Psychological Impacts and Treatment Approaches

Course overview

It is estimated that 1 in every 6 couples of childbearing age experience some form of compromised fertility or medically diagnosable infertility. Whether or not to pursue infertility treatment and undergo assisted reproduction constitutes a major life decision for patients, decisions that are often accompanied by stressful medical procedures and psychological sequelae no matter what the outcome. The information in this course serves as a resource for mental health professionals and allied healthcare providers who work with infertile patients and highlights the need for a broad approach that encompasses the concerns of the individual, as well as the couple as a dyad and the family as a unit. The course discusses and addresses issues that present in the care of infertility patients. Broad theoretical models within Health Psychology and empirically-based infertility-specific data guide the course content.