Abstract

SPOTORNO, Paula Munimis; SILVA, Isabela Machado da  and  LOPES, Rita Sobreira. Expectations and feelings of women in the context of assisted reproduction. Aletheia [online]. 2008, n.28, pp. 104-118. ISSN 1413-0394.

The present study investigated women’s expectations and feelings in the context of assisted reproduction. Six women, aged 22 to 37, took part in the study. The participants, selected from a public hospital, answered a semistructured interview. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis and revealed that infertility is a painful experience for couples, generating feelings of being incapable, frustration, low self-esteem, anxiety and sadness. Participants showed loneliness because of the long duration of the treatment, complaining about the partner’s little involvement in the treatment process. The results suggest the need to include mental health professionals in the assisted reproduction services, since this experience affects the narcissism of those involved, showing the importance of unconscious aspects in the desire to have a child.

Keywords : Infertility; Assisted reproduction; In vitro fertilization.

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