Author/Authors :
Masoumi، Seyedeh Zahra نويسنده Mother and Child Care Research Center, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran , , Garousian، Maryam نويسنده Fatemieh Hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran , , Mahmood Khani، Somayeh نويسنده Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , , Reyhaneh Oliaei، Seyedeh نويسنده Dentistry Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran , , Shayan، Arezoo نويسنده Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran ,
Abstract :
Background: Fertility plays an important role in sexual and psychological function in
families. Infertility can result in major emotional, social, and mental disorders, including
a reduction in satisfaction with marital life and quality of life. The present study aimed to
compare the quality of life and marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction between fertile
and infertile couples.
Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 250
couples at the Fatemiyeh Educational Research Center affiliated to Hamadan University
of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran, from May to August in 2014. The subjects
were randomly selected from the patients referred to this center using a table of random
numbers. They were then allocated into two groups of infertile group (n=125) and fertile
group (n=125). The study participants completed World Health Organization Quality of
Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, Linda Berg’s Sexual Satisfaction Scale,
and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS version16
for statistical analysis. The Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were also applied
to compare the data between the groups.
Results: The results revealed no significant difference between the two groups regarding
demographic and general health variables. The mean scores of sexual satisfaction were
63.67 ± 13.13 and 46.37 ± 7.72 in the fertile and infertile couples, respectively. Furthermore,
the mean scores of marital satisfaction were also 44.03 ± 9.36 and 36.20 ± 4.03
in the fertile and infertile groups, respectively. Our finding demonstrated that the fertile
couples obtained significantly higher mean scores of quality of life as well as lower mean
scores of sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction as compared to the infertile ones
(P < 0.001).
Conclusion: According to the results, the fertile couples obtained significantly higher
quality of life and lower sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction as compared to the
infertile ones. Therefore, holding consultation programs and conducting more studies are
necessary for improving the quality of life and promoting sexual and marital satisfaction
in infertile couples.
