The effect of infertility counseling interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction of infertile couples: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Psychological consequences of infertility could have a negative effect on marital and sexual satisfaction. Numerous medical associations have strongly recommended psychological interventions, including counseling, to help infertile couples. OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed the effectiveness of counseling interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction in infertile couples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Psych Info, Cochran Library, Scopus, and Embase were searched for relevant articles published up to March 2020. All randomized clinical trials assessing the impact of psychological interventions on marital and sexual satisfaction in infertile couples were included in the review. The outcome measures were marital and sexual satisfaction, and the pooled estimate of the effects was calculated using a random-effects model. The risk of bias was measured using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the summary measures were reported as 95% confidence interval and percentage of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Out of the 309 studies found through the search, 13 randomized clinical trials including 230 infertile women and 512 infertile couples were systematically reviewed and included in the meta-analysis. It was found that counseling interventions improve marital and sexual satisfaction. CONCLUSION: As counseling and psychological interventions increase the marital and sexual satisfaction of infertile couples, those are highly recommended for the psychological management of infertile couples.