ArticleCureus2022
A Qualitative Exploration of Social Support in Males and Females Experiencing Issues With Infertility.
Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- More than a medical condition: a theoretical exploration of infertility's hidden burden.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Health care experiences of individuals accessing or undergoingFrontiers in reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Music, imagery, and infertility: a qualitative inquiry into symptoms, treatments, and expressive therapies with infertility clinicians.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- What are the Thoughts of Women Whose Husbands' Frozen Testicular Sperm Is Thawed for in vitro Fertilization on the Day of Oocyte Retrieval? A Qualitative Study.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- What women want to hear: the helpful and unhelpful comments reported by women struggling with infertility amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2025Article
- Dual mediating effects of marital satisfaction and family decision-making power on the relationship between self-disclosure and depressive symptoms in IVF-ET/ICSI-ET patients: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate and compare male and female experiences of infertility in the context of social support.
methodsA Qualtrics survey (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah, United States) was posted to online fertility support groups and the responses were thematically analyzed. Only participants that completed the qualitative component of the survey were included in the study. Responses were subsequently thematically analyzed.
resultsA sample of 110 participants (13 males and 97 females) were included in the present study. Thematic analyses revealed that isolation and loneliness, stigma, sentiments of misunderstanding, insensitive reactions, and others' unhelpful attempts at support were general recurring themes, especially amongst females. Males predominantly reported negative emotional experiences and stigma, often feeling overlooked when compared with women despite being equally affected by these issues.
conclusionOur study provides insight into the factors that contribute to perceived isolation amongst the infertile population. These largely stemmed from feeling misunderstood and from others' inexperience with infertility. Spreading awareness and facilitating dialogue and education across not only the infertile population but also the community, is therefore critical to begin addressing the mental health effects of infertility.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.