Stigma: the hidden burden of infertility

Soc Sci Med. 1995 Jan;40(1):27-36. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)00124-c.

Abstract

Infertility is experienced by 5 million U.S. couples, some of whom perceive it a stigmatizing condition. Recent technological innovations have created a multitude of medical interventions for those infertile individuals who can financially afford them. For some infertile women, those interventions also transform infertility from a private pain to a public, prolonged crisis. Our research focuses on 25 U.S. women who sought medical treatment for infertility and describes their perception of the stigma associated with infertility. We apply a critical, feminist perspective to our analysis of the women's lived experiences within the social and medical contexts in which they occur.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infertility, Female / etiology
  • Infertility, Female / psychology*
  • Infertility, Female / therapy
  • Physician's Role*
  • Psychotherapy
  • Quality of Life*
  • Stress, Psychological / etiology
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology*
  • Stress, Psychological / therapy
  • United States
  • Women's Health*