Dados do Trabalho

Title

THE ROLE OF THE FATHER IN IVF TREATMENT BEGINS PRIOR TO CONCEPTION

Objective

The objective of this present study is to understand the father's role in IVF, if it should begin even before conception and how it impacts the treatment´s outcomes.

Methods

Eighteen articles on the topic were analyzed. Out of these, eight were chosen for portraying the man's experience during the IVF treatment more effectively. This study is a narrative review of articles published in English and Portuguese on PubMed, Scielo and assisted reproduction journals between 2006 and 2020. Works that do not report male involvement and gestational success were excluded. The keywords mentioned were: fatherhood, gestational success, success rate in IVF, and IVF.

Results

Based on the data collected from the chosen articles, it was noticeable that the most discussed topic among men in couples undergoing IVF treatment was the feeling of loss of masculinity, especially when infertility is caused by a male factor. Besides that, male and female participants acknowledged the sensitive nature of fertility as a women's health issue, posing challenges for men to discuss. This underscores the need for increased male involvement in fertility studies to improve our understanding of male factors and promote education and communication on male fertility and reproductive health.
Petterson B. D, et Al, 2006, concluded that women use more coping strategies than men, and distancing as a coping strategy was related to decreased infertility stress in both men and women and decreased marital adjustment for men. Furthermore, female and male infertility stress was explained by participants coping strategies related to decreased infertility stress, such as seeking social support and planful problem-solving. These coping strategies should be identified and encouraged.
D.K. Ondieki, et Al, 2015, concluded through his study that of the 163 women enrolled in the study, 114(69.9%) were ever accompanied while 30.1% (49) were never accompanied by their spouses. Of the ever accompanied women, 24(14.7%) were always accompanied. The unaccompanied women give as a reason for their spouses not attending the fertility clinic that their male partners were busy.Most of the women, 158(96.9%), wanted their spouses to accompany them to the clinic.
Besides that, all the men 34 (100%) and all the women 163 (100%) felt that male participation would add value to the overall couple's care.

Conclusion

Since ancient times, women have been revered for their ability to bring another being into the world and provide them with sustenance through a special nourishment that only they could provide: breast milk. The notion of a man with constant erectile ability and unending sexual desire is a myth that appears in tales such as the Labors of Hercules and the famous harems that perpetuated the association of virility with the ability to conceive children (fertility).
As male chauvinism remains deeply ingrained in our society, despite causing half of infertility difficulties, many men don't actively join the treatment process. Consequently, cultural and gender norms reinforce the notion that pregnancy is predominantly a woman's domain and discourage men's active engagement in the preconception process.
Given that a significant number of studies demonstrate that partner support plays a crucial role in reducing fertility related stress, it is essential that fertility clinics prioritize involving men in procedures, since their involvement during fertility treatment has been shown to have positive impacts on IVF outcomes.

Keywords

fatherhood, gestational success, success rate in IVF, and IVF