Page 56 - ESHRE2019

Introduction
In a well-known study, 49% of women but only 15% of men considered infertility the most upsetting experience of their
lives
For 72.5% of the women and 61.8% of the men, psychological counselling as an aid to coping with involuntary childlessness
(Freeman et al. 1987)
was considered a viable proposition (P < 0.001)
(Wischmann et al. 2001)
A literature search in March 2019 in Web of Science for the last five years with TS=(infertil* AND psychol* AND impact) resulted in 33 hits for men and in 87 hits for women
Heidelberg University Hospital | ESHRE PCC 8 Vienna (Austria) 23 June 2019 | Prof. Dr. Tewes Wischmann | 5
Key questions
1. Do men suffer from infertility less than women or do they suffer at all ("sturdy oaks hypothesis")?
2. What is the psychological impact of male factor infertility on men ("shooting blanks hypothesis")?
Heidelberg University Hospital | ESHRE PCC 8 Vienna (Austria) 23 June 2019 | Prof. Dr. Tewes Wischmann | 6
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