Qualitative study regarding the ethico-psychological implications on medically assisted human reproduction in Romania

M. A. Ungureanu, V. Astărăstoae,

Abstract: Infertility is a major public health issue, both in Romania and in Europe. The negative natural growth is also determined by infertility. That is why we are witnessing a massive development of assisted human reproduction technology and there arises a need to understand the complex psychological impact of such technologies on the couples, on the children born using these procedures and on the society at large. This study is a qualitative research on infertile individuals. The lot comprised 8 women and 3 men diagnosed with infertility and a control group of 5 women who gave birth to children without medically assisted human reproduction (MAHR). It was assessed that the diagnosis of infertility triggers psychological modifications (feelings of helplessness, anxiety, fear, depression) both at the level of the individual and at level of the couple. While the recourse to treatment using assisted human reproduction technology solves the problem of infertility, it fails to address all the psychological issues and sometimes it creates feelings of culpability related to the use of such techniques.
Keywords: infertility, medically assisted reproduction, ethics, emotional conditions.