Psychofortology of Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment

This study explored the coping and subjective well-being of women undergoing infertility treatment. Participants were 61 South African women attending a fertility clinic was selected by means of non-probability purposive sampling (mean age = 34.5). Data were gathered by means of a self-report survey consisting of various questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and cluster analysis. Participants reported lower total coping resources compared to the mean of 50 as established by Hammer and Marting (1988). The participants had an average sense of coherence and the majority experienced a below average feeling of happiness. Cluster analysis of the patterns of coping resources, sense of coherence, satisfaction with life and happiness of women currently undergoing infertility treatment at a privately managed health care unit revealed three distinct clusters that differed significantly across the four measures. The results suggest that the women in this sample, despite the experience of infertility and infertility treatment, were able to comprehend, manage and find meaning of their experience in the context of other aspects of their lives.