Attitudes of patients about the importance of psychological intervention in the process of in vitro fertilization

Introduction: According to available data, 20% of population is faced with the problem of sterility, which represents a very stressful experience for couples who want to have posterity. The presented diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, fear and uncertainty are only some of the problems that couples who have started the treatment are faced with, which strongly implies the necessity of psychological support and intervention in order to overcome them.
The aim of this study: To analyse the opinion of the couples involved in the in vitro fertilization program regarding the necessity of psychological support and intervention.
Material and methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 200 couples involved in IVF program at Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department of Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Novi Sad.
Results: Out of 200 surveyed women, 170 (85%) declared that psychological intervention in the course of the treatment is necessary, while with male examinees the percentage was slightly lower (82.5%). Regarding the issue of mutual support between partners in the course of the treatment, 98% of women and 99% of men declared that it is necessary.
Conclusion: Facing the problem of sterility and the approaching treatment is accompanied by extremely high level of stress, anxiety and depressive reactions, which produces a significant impact on the course and results of the treatment. This clearly implies the aforementioned necessity of application of psychological intervention as a complementary method of sterility treatment.