Social and Holistic Approach to the Challenges of Reproductive Health Systems: Gender, Infertility, Quality of Life and Assisted Reproduction

Infertility affects approximately 17.5% of the world’s adult population, making it a major public health problem. Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) have become a common resource for couples experiencing infertility. However, the psychosocial implications of infertility and the role of gender norms on quality of life during ART treatment remain underexplored. For this reason, the present dissertation aims to: 1) Analyze the impact of infertility and conformity to gender norms on the quality of life of heterosexual couples using ART. 2) To analyze the differential impact on quality of life and conformity to gender norms of sex-based diagnosis and 3) To test the validity of the FertiQol (core) questionnaire as a tool to assess the quality of life of people with infertility. To this end, a cross-sectional study was carried out using quantitative methodologies with a sample of 1602 patients attending the Assisted Reproduction Unit of the Hospital Politécnico y Universitario La Fe of Valencia. The results obtained underline the significant impact of gender norms on the quality of life of people undergoing infertility treatment and the use of the FertiQol instrument is validated as a reliable measure to assess fertility-related quality of life. This comprehensive assessment highlights the need for holistic approaches in Reproductive Health Systems that take gender issues into account in the management of infertility treatment and provides a solid foundation for future research in this area.

Porgrama de promoción al talento y su empleabilidad. Subprograma de Formación al Profesorado Universitario (FPU)