Love, sex, and infertility: The impact of infertility on the couple

Infertility can significantly stress a couple relationship in a myriad of ways. Men and women have different ways of coping with infertility and, at times, one or the other partner feels insufficiently understood or supported. Issues of coercion, communication, financial allocation, and empathic failure are common. Furthermore, marital and sexual constriction often occurs, both during the months (or years) of infertility intervention, and when the infertility crisis has apparently been successfully resolved. This article addresses these issues and illustrates them with a case example involving both primary and second infertility. It is noted that empathic, effective individual and couple therapy can be an important resource in dealing with both the immediate and long-term aftermath of infertility on sexual and marital functioning. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.