reviewed
by Tatiana A. ROMANOV
Being unable to conceive and give birth
to a child has long been recognized as a very
disturbing situation for the estimated
1 : 6 couples
involved. Our society is generally seen as one
that places a high value on couples bearing
children and consequently may be less than
supportive to those who cannot fulfill this
expectation (Jim
Monach).
Regarding the age
when ideally the first child should be born, two
trends were found in the sample of those who
have remained childless so far (the data were collected in Germany):
38% of all respondents articulated the wish to
have their first child between the ages of 25–29
years. Another 38% wanted to fulfill their wish
of having a child between the ages of 30 and 35
years; the first child was desired at a mean age
of 29.9 years. With increasing age, the ideal
age for the first gravidity also increased.
Respondents up to 20 years of age therefore
preferred to have their first child by the age
of 26 years. Respondents between 21 and 30 years
dated their ideal age when having the first
child at 29 years. Finally, respondents between
31 and 40 years dated the ideal time of birth of
their first child at 36 years of age. Compared
to the women, the men articulated a higher
age.East Germans preferred to have their first
child at a younger age than West Germans; this
was particularly the case for East Germans in
the age group up to 20 years (ideal age for
having their first child at 25.6 years) (Yve
Stobel-Richter, Manfred E. Beutel, Carolyn
Finck, Elmar Brahler, 2005).
In Japan the
first child is desired averagely at age of 30
years and as for German, the results are depends
of gender and current age of respondents. As for
women in 20 years old her planed age to have the
first child between 25 – 30 years. Female
respondent in age 21 – 30 years old would like
to have their first child at 29 – 30 years old.
In age between 31 – 40 years old women’s ideal
age to have first child is about 35 – 36 years
old. Respondent after 40 years old desire to get
their first child as soon as possible. Male
respondent 20 years old desire to have their
first child at 30 years. Respondents in age
between 25 – 30 years old want to get first
child at their 33 – 35 years old. Men in 31 – 40
years old would like to have first child at 35 –
36 years old, the same as women in Japan. But
men after 40 years old and older usually abandon
the idea to have child at all (by Takeuchi M.).
When asked to
rate the importance of major areas of life,
health (1) was given the highest priority,
followed by income and financial security (2),
work (3), partnership and sexuality and living
conditions (4). Family life/children were rated
at the
sixth (6) rank, followed by friends and
leisure time activities (5). Having children was
more important for women than for men and for
the older versus younger age groups. East German
women rated ‘having children’ as most important,
and West German men rated it as least important.
(Yve Stobel-Richter, Manfred E. Beutel, Carolyn
Finck, Elmar Brahler, 2005).
Most
experts define infertility as not being able to
get pregnant after at least one year of trying.
Women who are able to get pregnant but then have
recurrent miscarriages are also said to be
infertile. The infertility definition made a
difference. The World Health Organization
definition based on 24 months of trying to get
pregnant is recommended as the definition that
is useful in clinical practice and research
among different disciplines (Prasanta Kumar Deka, Swarnali
Sarma, 2010).Infertility is defined as the
inability of a couple to achieve a pregnancy
despite unprotected intercourse for a period
longer than 12 months. However, after the age of
35 years, impaired fecundity is well documented
and an infertility workup is suggested after 6
months. For most couples having regular
unprotected intercourse, the chance of getting
pregnant during any given month is 25%. After 3
months of repeated attempts, about 60% of
couples conceive. By the end of 1 year, about
85% of couples will conceive. Statistically, 8
to 15% of all couples are infertile (Reed, Susan
A., 2001).
It is a growing problem and across
virtually all cultures and societies almost all
over the World and affects an estimated 10%-15%
of couples of reproductive age. In recent years,
the number of couples seeking treatment for
infertility has dramatically increased due to
factors such as postponement of childbearing in
women, development of newer and more successful
techniques for infertility treatment, and
increasing awareness of available services. This
increasing participation in fertility treatment
has raised awareness and inspired investigation
into the psychological ramifications of
infertility. Researchers have looked into the
psychological impact of infertility per se and
of the prolonged exposure to intrusive
infertility treatments on mood and well-being (Prasanta
Kumar Deka, Swarnali Sarma, 2010).
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