title: [Impact of male infertility on men's self-esteem and satisfaction with sexual relationship].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of infertility on men's self-esteem, self-confidence, sexual satisfaction and overall relationship with their spouses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Self-Esteem and Relationship questionnaire (SEAR), we conducted an investigation among 253 infertile men and 52 fertile male controls. We divided the infertile men into four subgroups according to their perceived causes of infertility: male (M) factors, female (F) factors, both M and F factors, and unknown factors, and compared the SEAR scores among different groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the infertile men, the total SEAR score was significantly higher in those with < 3 years than in those with > or = 3 years of infertility duration (75.50 +/- 17.05 vs 68.66 +/- 17.19, P < 0.05) and so was it in those with above-high-school than in those with high-school or lower education background (81.42 +/- 13.99 vs 67.61 +/- 17. 8, P < 0.01), but showed no significant difference between the > or = 30- and < 30-year-olds (71.77 +/- 17.42 vs 72.74 +/- 18.38, P > 0.05). The total SEAR scores in the M factor, M & F factor, unknown factor and F factor groups were 65.69 +/- 18.68, 68.52 +/- 17.68, 74.85 +/- 15.19 and 83.21 +/- 12.61, respectively, with significant differences between the first two and the latter two groups (P < 0.05), as well as between the unknown factor and F factor groups (P < 0.05). In the fertile male controls, the total SEAR score and subdomain scores on sexual relationship, self-confidence, self-esteem and overall relationship were 90.04 +/- 9.85, 88.40 +/- 10.74, 92.23 +/- 9.41, 91.95 +/- 10.67 and 90.38 +/- 14.14, respectively, all remarkably higher than in the M factor, M&F factor and unknown factor groups of the infertile men after adjustment of their infertility duration and education levels (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infertility reduces men's self-esteem, self-confidence, sexual satisfaction and relationship with their spouses, and the degree of its impact is correlated with the patients' infertility duration and education level.
authors.affiliation: Center for Assisted Reproduction, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Bo-Chen
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xu-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires