Chapter 19 - Infertility counseling

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the psychological experience of infertility (before, during, and after care) and the importance of infertility counseling in maintaining healthy patients physically and mentally throughout their reproductive journey. Infertility counseling, whether mandatory or voluntary, begins with an interview, the purpose of which is to educate and prepare individuals, couples and third-party reproductive helpers for treatment. A template for the infertility counselor interview is the comprehensive psychosocial history of infertility (CPHI). The CPHI provides information gathering in four areas: reproductive history, mental status, sexual history, and relationship status. The chapter also summarizes literature on clinical issues and therapeutic interventions that best benefit patient well-being and medical treatment outcomes. The complex relationships and dynamics that are often present in families created by third-party conception highlight the need for the availability of counseling services after the birth of children, especially when donor registries are either government-regulated or voluntary.