Adversities of being infertile: the experience of Jordanian women

Objective To describe and interpret the experiences of and adversities faced by infertile Jordanian women as described from their own perspectives. Design A qualitative descriptive design. Setting The women were interviewed at a nonprofit women's organization in the north of Jordan. The organization focuses on empowerment and health issues. Patient(s) This study included a purposive sample of 25 infertile Jordanian women who were unsuccessfully trying to conceive for a minimum of 1 year, and who were receiving treatment for infertility. Intervention(s) Face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed using thematic analysis. Main Outcome Measure(s) Outcomes were measured using thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. Result(s) Four key adversity themes emerged from the data: the adversity of incomplete being, the social adversity of being infertile, the adversity of another wife, and the adversity of changes in the marital relationship. Conclusion(s) Jordanian women are seriously affected by infertility and experience personal, social, and marital adversities, which affect their well-being. These adversities need to be conceptualized within a framework that can be used to empower and counsel infertile women in all aspects of life.