Psychological Challenges of Infertile Males Seeking Infertility Alternative Therapies: A Qualitative Study

Nowadays, with the development of medical science, the coupleschr('39') infertility problem has been resolved; however, this issue has presented some challenges. This study was conducted to explain the psychological challenges of infertile men seeking alternative infertility treatments.

This qualitative research with phenomenological design (n=9) was carried out on infertile males seeking alternative infertility treatments. The subjects were selected using purposive and criterion sampling methods with maximum variation until reaching saturation. The necessary data were collected through a semi-structured interview method and coded and analyzed using the Dickelman method. The coding process was analyzed in the form of primary codes, concepts, and categories.

Based on the findings, the psychological challenges of infertile men seeking alternative reproductive therapies included 4 main themes (precedent challenges, process challenges, contextual challenges, and approaching challenges) and 13 sub-themes (problems in decision-making and acceptance of treatment, challenges related to childless life, intellectual and emotional challenges of couples through the treatment, challenges affecting marital life, concerns related to the course of treatment, challenges related to the actions and reactions of family and relatives, concerns about cultural and social rejection and religious issues, concerns due to the possibility of physical, mental, and behavioral defects of the child, and challenges related to the parental role).

In general, reviewing the categories and concepts obtained from this study and summarizing them could well reveal the concerns and difficulties experienced by infertile males and provide a clear picture of their problems to experts and authorities.