Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment and Couple Relationship

Nayeli Figueroa, Division Director, Gynecologic Specialties, Johns Hopkins HealthCare

Nayeli Figueroa, Division Director, Gynecologic Specialties, Johns Hopkins HealthCare

According to the concept of avoidance, assisted reproductive technology's beneficial effect tends to be associated with lower levels of fear of dependency and interpersonal intimacy and a low desire for self-reliance, and reluctance to self-disclosure within a romantic relationship.

Infertility is an alarming experience that can threaten important personal and martial goals, often affecting psychophysical health. Supportive relationships and a secure romantic connection appear to decrease infertility stress and play an essential role in the progress of assisted reproductive technology treatments. One study investigated the predictive effect of romantic attachment, couple characteristics, quality of life, and age on assisted reproductive technology outcomes.

A total of 88 infertile women participated in an assisted reproductive technology center in Rome, finished the close relationship-revised experience, the couple relationship inventory, the quality of life fertility, and the socio-demographic questionnaire. At the beginning of the medical treatment, the participants completed the questionnaires. Data analyses showed significant associations between the close relationship-revised dimensions, couple relationship inventory, and life scales' fertility quality. Assisted reproductive technology outcome was negatively correlated with experience in close relationship-revised avoidance and positively related to the couple relationship inventory dependence.

A multi-variable logistic regression demonstrated that close relationship-revised avoidance lowered the likelihood of birth. The present results partially confirmed the research hypothesis as a number of correlations were identified between couple traits, attachment anxiety and avoidance dimensions, infertility-related quality of life in infertile people. Furthermore, according to the concept of avoidance, assisted reproductive technology's beneficial effect tends to be associated with lower levels of fear of dependency and interpersonal intimacy and a low desire for self-reliance, and reluctance to self-disclosure within a romantic relationship. Further investigations are required to validate this tentative result and facilitate tailored therapy approaches for couples facing assisted reproductive technology.

The research is one of the first to explore the impact of romantic attachment, unique couple characteristics, and infertility-related quality of life on ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) results, demonstrating the role of avoiding attachment. These findings have therapeutic consequences for psychiatric therapies. The attachment aspects and associated emotional control methods are central to promoting couples' well-being in clinical settings.

Health professionals working in this field should also center their intervention on marital relations. In particular on the topic of mutual support between partners, as the promotion of mutual support and care appears to be the best means of maintaining the standard of marriage from the potential adverse effects of infertility and related treatment.

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