Infertility affects between 8% and 12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide. For many, it disrupts a deeply personal goal: building a family. While advances in medicine have made assisted reproductive treatments more accessible, the emotional and physical strain of these procedures remains significant.
These treatments often come with high expectations, which, when unmet, can lead to serious emotional distress. Scientific studies have already linked infertility treatment to depression, anxiety, stress, and strained relationships. Now, a new study from Brazil sheds light on a lesser-known consequence: the impact on work-family balance.
Researchers at the ABC Medical School (FM-ABC) in Santo André, supported by FAPESP, conducted a study focused on how infertility treatments affect patients’ ability to manage both work and personal responsibilities. The results, published in Psychology, Health & Medicine, show clear gender differences in how patients experience these conflicts.
The study found that men reported more work-family conflict, while women experienced higher levels of stress during treatment.
The research included 242 couples undergoing fertility treatment at the Ideia Fértil Institute, affiliated with FM-ABC. Most participants were in their late 30s; 60% were women, 67% held a university degree, and nearly 40% had been married for over a decade.
Fertility treatments are often time-consuming and expensive, requiring multiple appointments, tests, and strict medication routines. Yet there has been little scientific attention paid to how these demands affect work and family life.
The study revealed that many patients experienced reduced work performance, trouble concentrating, and emotional fatigue. These symptoms often created conflict between work duties and family roles. “Work-family conflict arises when individuals feel tension between their job responsibilities and personal lives,” the researchers explained. “This can lead to stress, exhaustion, relationship issues, and lower productivity.”
To measure these effects, the team used four internationally recognized scales:
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Infertility-Related Stress Scale (IRSS) measured emotional strain linked to infertility.
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Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10) assessed patients’ ability to adapt and stay mentally strong.
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Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) evaluated support from family and friends.
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Work-Family Conflict Scale analyzed how work and personal lives interfered with each other.
Men in the study showed higher resilience and reported less stress than women. However, they reported more difficulty managing work alongside family demands. Interestingly, couples with higher income levels reported more work-family conflict overall.
Women, on the other hand, reported higher stress and lower resilience. The study’s authors suggest this could be influenced by social pressures and cultural expectations around motherhood, which place a heavier emotional burden on women during infertility treatment.
This study is one of the first to investigate the ongoing emotional toll of infertility treatment while patients are still undergoing it—not just in hindsight. The findings highlight the need for better emotional and workplace support for couples pursuing reproductive care.
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