Age and Women’s Infertility: National and Foreign Researches’ Review

<p style="text-align: justify;">The article attempts to review national and foreign studies over the past twenty years on the problem of psychological characteristics of women diagnosed with infertility in different age groups. The review provides a definition of infertility recommended by WHO, briefly analyzes the evolution of views on the psychological origins of infertility: the psychosomatic model, popular at the beginning of the 20th century, and the modern biopsychosocial approach are considered. The emphasis is on the age-specific experience of infertility as an individual psychological reaction to the diagnosis. The problem of age-related infertility and its prevalence in the modern world is being raised. Medical aspects of impaired fertility are described, such as decreased quality and quantity of eggs cells. The relationship between stress, infertility and age is revealed. The factors influencing the risk of developing anxiety and depressive symptoms during treatment are analyzed, as well as psychological reasons for refusal of treatment. The connection between the socio-cultural context and the psycho-emotional state of infertile women is emphasized. The review studies the psychological consequences of infertility in developing countries, as well as in countries with pronatalist policies.</p>