Assessment of marital satisfaction: a survey of infertile women in a public tertiary hospital.

Abstract

Despite substantial gain in infertility treatment with the advent of assisted reproduction technique, the psychological and social aspects of infertility management is still often overlooked. To investigate marital satisfaction in infertile women and the factors affecting it. The Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS) Scale was used to assess the level of marital satisfac­tion among infertile women in a cross-sectional survey. Comparative analysis was performed to determine significant difference between groups as well as predictors of marital satisfaction. Two hundred and sixty respondents were interviewed. The total mean IMS score of the participants was 28.3 ± 14.2. From the IMS scale, majority (64.2%) of infertile women were satisfied while 35.8% were dissatisfied with their marital relationship. Significant predictors for marital dissatisfaction were low educational status, secondary infertility, male and female factor infertility, infrequent sexual intercourse and previous failed in-vitro fertilization. Infertile women are at increased risk of reduced marital satisfaction. Fertility specialists should adopt a comprehensive psycho-social approach in fertility treatment to include routine screening for marital satisfaction using proxy socio-clinical predictors. Couple therapy and counseling aimed at improving sexual, marital satisfaction as well as quality of life in infertile couple is recommended.