Emotional Aspects of Male Fertility

Male infertility affects many aspects of a man’s life and may cause a life crisis. Diagnosis and initiation of treatment are associated with elevated infertility-specific anxiety, and unsuccessful treatment can lead to a state of lasting sadness. Although infertility treatment is now commonplace in men, they often feel as though their masculinity is being questioned, and feel remote and disconnected from the treatment process. To cope with the emotional burden caused by the situation, emotional support from infertility clinicians, mental health professionals, self-help support groups or friends is recommended and is available through fertility clinics. In addition, structured, facilitated psycho-educational groups that are didactic but permit informal sharing of experiences might be beneficial. It can be effective to involve both the male and female that are struggling to get pregnant in the emotional support efforts.