Experiences of infertility through the lens of Iranian infertile women: A qualitative study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of Iranian infertile women regarding infertility. Methods: A qualitative design, based on a content analysis approach, was used to reach this study aim. After employing purposive sampling to choose 10 women who were seeking infertility treatment at a referral center in Tehran, Iran, semi-structured interviews were carried out to gather data. Results: During the data analysis, four main themes emerged including “abuse”, “marital instability”, “social isolation”, and “loss of self- esteem”. Conclusion: Infertility influences both the psychological and social well-being of women. Improving the knowledge of healthcare professionals especially nurses about the complications of infertility and its related cultural–contextual factors are crucial in order to provide high quality care to infertile women.