ABSTRACT
Over the last few decades in Europe, both the number of unintentionally childless couples and the frequency of treatment with assisted reproduction techniques (ART) have been constantly increasing. With a view to assessing the psychosocial aspects of infertility and infertility therapy, section “Infertility and Assisted Reproduction – Basic Facts and Figures” provides basic information on the frequency of infertility and the subjective response to it in women and men, on the potentialities and risks of assisted reproduction and its psychological impact, and on long-term developments following successful/unsuccessful treatment. Section “Psychological Interventions for Infertile Couples” outlines practical examples of subject matter usefully addressed in counseling and psychological interventions for women and men with an unfulfilled desire for a child. The chapter closes with an outlook on the future challenges facing psychosocial infertility counseling, challenges posed mainly by the headlong progress of reproductive medicine.
