"Infertility is a life crisis for couples and can affect men and women’s experience of sexuality, although many infertile couples do not present changes or they face them successfully," as Cristina López del Burgo claimed. She is a professor within the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Navarra and a researcher within the Education of Human Affectivity and Sexuality project of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS). This conclusion is part of a literature review she has recently carried out.

According to the researcher, "although some sexual dysfunctions can cause infertility, you more often find sexual dysfunctions as a consequence of infertility." She considers that "the 'obligation’ to have sex during the fertile period to achieve pregnancy can make both men and women cease to perceive of sex as a way to connect and enjoy as a couple."

She also notes that, "the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, which involves a lot of exposure to healthcare personnel, involve a loss of intimacy for the couple." She adds that, "all these circumstances, together with the emotional imbalances involved in the life crisis that infertility engenders and the side effects of some of the treatments, can lead to a decrease in sexual desire and other dysfunctions, such as erectile and ejaculatory problems for men or achieving orgasm for women.”

Shortage of research on men

According to Dr. López del Burgo, one of the findings of the literature review is "the scarcity of studies on the experience of male infertility compared to the multitude of studies on women, both in the biological sphere and in the in the psychological and social spheres.”

She notes that although reproduction studies have traditionally focused on women, infertility affects the couple as a unit: "Men also suffer from this life crisis, with the added difficulty of, at times, seeing their masculinity questioned given the erroneous belief that persists in society that male infertility is synonymous with erectile dysfunction."

A comprehensive approach for infertile couples

Given the evidence that infertility can lead to problems and/or sexual dysfunction, she stresses that, "it is necessary to remind professionals that the assessment of an infertile couple must be truly comprehensive. That is, it must include not only the biological/medical aspects, but also the psychological, sexual and social aspects of infertility."

She reminds us that although there are already guidelines and protocols for attending to infertile couples, most of them are specifically directed to couples who resort to assisted reproduction therapies. Therefore, she proposes, "developing specific recommendations for couples who decide other options," and notes that, "identifying the sexual dysfunction that some couples experience is useful for developing an appropriate therapeutic approach, including psychological and sexological support."

Cristina López del Burgo graduated from the University of Navarra with a medical degree and PhD in medicine. Her specialty, via the Spanish MIR system, is in Family and Community Medicine. She is currently a professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Navarra. She mainly teaches epidemiology and human sexuality to students of medicine, the sciences and psychology.

Her field of research is focused on family planning, fertility and sexuality. She has undertaken several research stays at US centers and recently completed a Master's Degree in Sexual Health and Clinical Sexology through the UNED School of Psychology.