Marital satisfaction and social support in infertile women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Background and objective: Few studies have evaluated marital satisfaction and social support in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to assess and compare marital satisfaction and social support among infertile women with and without PCOS. Methods: This case-control study was performed at the Royan Institute, a referral fertility center, in Tehran, Iran between July and September 2015. A total of 150 infertile women with PCOS were compared with 150 infertile women without PCOS. Marital satisfaction and social support were assessed using the ENRICH marital satisfaction scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), respectively. Results: The results showed that there is no significant difference between infertile women with or without PCOS in terms of marital satisfaction and social support (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to these results, although PCOS may have negative effects in different aspects of suffering people, it cannot singly reduce social support and marital satisfaction among infertile women; and infertility can be more important than PCOS for infertile women. Keywords: Marital satisfaction, Social support, Infertility, Polycystic ovary syndrome