Paradise Lost: Sexual Function and Infertility

Abstract

The crisis of infertility involves experiencing a series of losses. Some are primary and some are secondary, but all are significant. The loss of the biologic experience of pregnancy and childbirth, the inability to pass on one’s genes to the next generation, and the loss of children in one’s home are the fears as well as the realities with which infertile couples struggle. Some or all of these losses can be ameliorated by medical technology or by alternatives such as adoption or the use of donor gametes. Another profound loss involves the damage done to one’s self-esteem and is not easily repaired. This injury affects one’s deepest sense of self, including feelings about masculinity or femininity, and sexuality.