The objective of this study was to describe the demographic, clinical and psychosocial characteristics of Sterility Clinic outpatients and to identify motivation for psychological care. It is a retrospective study, conducted using 50 couples, interviewed at the beginning of the medical inquiry process. Eighty percent of the couples were in their first marriage, 64% had been married for up to 8 years, 72% had no children and 78% had been trying to conceive for up to 6 years. The causes of infertility were unknown in thirty-six percent of the couples and 78% had never being subjected to Assisted Reproduction procedures. Ninety-four percent of the couples showed an interest in participating in a psychological support group. The fear of abortion, fetal malformation and delivery was statistically more frequent than fears related to pregnancy, Assisted Reproduction procedures and the responsibilities of parenthood. These data reveal significant variables for the development of interventions based on the knowledge of patients' circumstances.
Infertility; Health psychology; Assisted reproduction
