Minimizing Psychosocial Stress Knowing the Cause of Male Infertility

　　ming for men. Knowing the cause of male infertility can minimize a man's level of psychosocial stress. To become a parent is an important life goal for men (1, 2). The motivations behind the desire for parenthood revolve around the anticipated joy of having children around, fostering a unique relationship with a child and child-rearing. Some men also believe that parenting can make their lives and their relationship with their partner more complete as well as give life purpose. It is important to note that 84 percent of men want to be parents as much as their female partners (1, 3). It comes with little surprise that the prospect of a lifetime of childlessness can cause a significant amount of psychosocial distress for infertile men. Men may perceive being infertile as a crisis situation where a man's sense of masculinity and desire for fatherhood is threatened (4, 5). Depression, anger and guilt can result from the trials and tribulations of infertility.

　　了解男性不育的原因可以最大限度地减少男性的社会心理压力。 成为父亲是男性重要的人生目标(1，2)。为人父母的渴望源自孩子陪在身边，培养和孩子之间独特的关系，以及抚养孩子所带来的喜悦。有些男性还认为，养育子女可以使他们的生活以及与伴侣的关系更加完整，并赋予生活目标。 需要注意的是，84% 的男性和女性伴侣一样希望成为父母(1，3)。不难想象，终生无子女的设想会给不育男性带来大量的社会心理压力。男性可能会将不育视为一种危机，在这种情况下，男性的阳刚之气和对父亲的渴望会受到威胁(4，5)。无法生育的考验和磨难可能会导致一个人抑郁、愤怒和内疚。

　　These emotions can emerge at different times during the three phases of the psychological response to infertility. The first phase is shock, disbelief and even denial. The second phase is the grieving and mourning of the loss of a child that was never conceived or born. The last phase is the challenge of facing alternative reproductive options that may not resonate with their reproductive philosophy. The use of a strange man's sperm for donor insemination, adoption, or a life without children may be emotionally overwhel

　　在面对不育症的心理反应的三个阶段中，这些情绪可能会在不同时间出现。 第一阶段是震惊、怀疑甚至否认。 第二阶段是为失去一个从未受孕或出生的孩子而悲伤和哀悼。 最后一个阶段是面临可能与他们的生殖观念不符的辅助生殖选项的挑战。 使用陌生人的精子进行供体受精、收养或没有孩子的生活可能会让男人在情感上难以承受。

　　In 1994, Glover et al. evaluated 109 men attending an infertility clinic. It is encouraging to see that they found that a male fertility consultation resulted in a reduction in anxiety and self-blame for infertile men. This amelioration in the psychological response in men is likely due to the benefits of supportive counseling that presents honest, accurate and objective information regarding the diagnosis, reproductive options and prognosis. Moreover, identifying the underlying cause of male infertility brings some comfort to the most plaguing question of “Why? ”。“Why is this happening? Why me? Why now? How did it occur? What is the cause? " are only a few of the questions that can haunt an infertile man. Johansson et al. in Sweden interviewed couples with severe male factor infertility who had failed IVF. For the men, the greatest source of frustration was not knowing the cause of their infertility. By diligently performing a careful evaluation, male fertility specialists are providing a great service for their infertile men by simply uncovering an underlying diagnosis. Even when the cause is irreversible, there is significant value in the comfort that it brings to help answer the question of “Why? "

　　1994 年，Glover评估了109 名生殖诊所的男性病人。振奋人心的是，他们发现男性生育咨询会让不育男性的焦虑和自责感降低。男性心理反应的这种改善可能是咨询带来的好处，它为男性不育的诊断、生殖选择和预后提供了诚实、准确和客观的信息。此外，确定男性不育的内在原因可以或多或少的解答最让人困扰的问题“为什么?”。“为什么会这样?为什么是我?为什么是现在?它是如何发生的?原因是什么?“这只是困扰不育男性的几个问题。瑞典的 Johansson 等采访了几对不孕夫妇，他们尝试过辅助生育，但因严重的男性不育因素失败了。对于男性来说，最让他们感到沮丧的是不知道不育的原因。男性生殖专家通过详细的评估，找到内在原因，为病人提供了很好的服务。即使在原因不可逆转的情况下，了解不育的原因也能给人带来极大的安慰。

　　Reference 数据参考:

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