Infertility in a couple is an ordeal that does not always end well. Study finds that failure to aid conception triples the risk of separation.
Difficulty conceiving is a hardship for a couple. The more difficult it is for members to have a baby, the greater the risk of divorce. This is the result of a study published on January 31 in the journal Acta Obstetrica and Gynecologica Scandinavica.
“Previous studies show that impaired fertility causes marital or sexual distress for couples, which can lead to separation or divorce. Our study wanted to know if women who do not have children after a fertility test were more at risk of ending their married life, ”explains Trille Kristina Kjaer, author of the study. Researchers have in fact determined that a treatment to improve fertility tends to alter a couple’s quality of life, in particular by increasing stress, anxiety and depression.
Women most affected by failure
But other studies have found that this type of ordeal brings the two spouses closer together, called “marital benefit”. A Danish study, published in Fertility and Sterility in 2011, found that a third of failed couples believed that the ordeal had positive consequences and had united the couple. In 1993, another study published by Demography says married couples were less at risk of divorce than unmarried cuts.
To sort out the real and the fantasized, the Danish team used the national registries for assistance with conception. They identified more than 47,500 women who had recourse to medically assisted procreation between 1990 and 2006. Of these, 57% gave birth to at least one child thanks to treatment. Those who failed to conceive divorced 30% after 12 years of follow-up, tripling the risk of divorce. Women are the most affected by failure, the study finds. They are the most likely to end the relationship.
Most often, the separation occurs after the medical evaluation. “Our results suggest that not having children after fertility treatment may have negative effects on the length of relationships for couples with impaired fertility. Further research that takes into account the quality of marriage and the relationship well-being of couples with impaired fertility is now needed, ”says Dr. Kjaer.
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