Use of the internet related to infertility by infertile women and men in Turkey

OBJECTIVE To determine differences in use of the Internet related to infertility between infertile women and men, whether they benefit or are negatively affected from information on the Internet, and share this information with health professional. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out with 285 infertile women and 158 men between December 2015 and February 2016. Data were collected by a survey Form which included questions related to sociodemographic characteristics, related to infertility (duration of treatment, type of treatment) and questions about use of the Internet. Chi-square analysis was used to evaluate the differences in Internet use and independent variables for patients. RESULTS Seventy-four percent of women and 68.4% of men used the Internet related to infertility. Women and men most often looked for information related to assisted reproductive technology and the causes of infertility. Men searched for information related to fertility drugs used in treatment significantly less than women. They often visited the websites of fertility centers and doctors. A high percentage of them have benefited from information on the Internet. Almost half of the women and men shared the information obtained from the Internet with health professional. CONCLUSION Most frequently, infertile patients use the Internet to obtain information related to infertility and they benefited from information on the Internet. For health professional it is important to direct Internet users to safe and true information resources.