Onm-6: Social Consequences of Infertility in Iranian Infertile Women: A Qualitative Study

Background: Infertility as a life crisis is accompanied by a wide range of social, psychological, physical and financial problems. These problems are varied- both in nature and extent- in different locations according to specific cultural- social contexts. Infertility is a source of social suffering for infertile people, especially women. As infertility prevent individuals from achieving the specific role of parenthood, infertile women have to cope with social consequences of their inability in addition to the usual and personal psychological outcomes. This study aims to examine the social consequences of infertility among infertile women. Materials and Methods: This study follows a qualitative approach, using a content analysis method. 15 infertile women were selected using purposive sampling and consideration of maximum diversity. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were analyzed by a conventional content analysis method. Results: The findings of this study consist of 7 categories and five main themes including psychological violence, instability in life, social isolation, social self-alienation and feeling of social exclusion. One of the major subcategories of psychological violence was stigma that also includes the subcategory of decrease in social status. Conclusion: Social support of infertile women should be a priority for health workers in developing countries. The nature of this social support should be specified by identification of consequences of infertility in the context of every country and aims at empowering infertile people to reform the current value system and increase their self-confidence.