title: Psychosocial support for infertile couples during assisted reproductive technology treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the psychosocial support perceived by couples during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective follow-up of patients undergoing ART.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, S. Maria Nuova Hospital, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-three women and 83 men admitted for ART.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support at the beginning of ovarian stimulation, upon oocyte pick-up, and 1 month after ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  Perception of psychosocial support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men, compared with women, consistently reported poorer perception of psychosocial support, especially from friends and significant others; family support showed no difference. Women showed a decrease in perceived support, especially from friends, in cases of failure. Both reported less support from significant others if they had previously already undergone ART treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men might feel excluded from the treatment because of the greater attention to women, leading to feelings of isolation from friends and partners. Women suffer particularly in cases of failure that reconfirms the trauma of infertility. These psychological risk factors underline the usefulness of psychological support for these couples, especially in cases of prolonged infertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Pascalis
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paterlini
authors.forename: Giovanni Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: La Sala
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blickstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome