Interpersonal dynamics of women in midlife living with involuntary childlessness

Becoming a parent creates new phase in adult development where the creation of family brings meanings and relational dimensions to one’s life. For people who are involuntarily childless, however, absence children can have multifaceted impact on their everyday lives. Although extensive studies concerning childlessness been conducted, past work has tended clinical focus women's infertility fertility treatments much less attention paid how childless live beyond trying for child while contemporaries pursue lives with children. This study explores experience 11 White, heterosexual British women midlife living involuntary childlessness. To gain experiential insights, semi-structured interviews were conducted transcripts analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Analysis reveals two interrelated key patterns exemplifying intrapersonal interpersonal features. paper focuses latter. The findings bring light not only layers complex issues caused by being but also different ways reconstructing meaning reconnections that impacted positively developing generativity. presents dynamics unique each woman offers micro-level understandings helpful health professionals, therapists, life coaches, researchers looking into midlife/adult development.