Determinants of Quality of Life in Serbian Infertile Couples

Milena  Zlatanovic; Ardea  Milidrag; Marija  Sorak; Sanja  Kocic; Aleksandar  Višnjić; Mile  Despotović; Teodora  Safiye; Milena  Despotović; Christos  Alexopoulos; Svetlana  Radević

doi:10.18502/ijph.v53i6.15906

Milena Zlatanovic Department of Medical Studies, The Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac, Cuprija, Serbia
Ardea Milidrag Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Marija Sorak Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Sanja Kocic Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Aleksandar Višnjić Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
Mile Despotović Department of Medical Studies, The Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac, Cuprija, Serbia
Teodora Safiye Department of Psychology, State University of Novi Pazar, Novi Pazar, Serbia
Milena Despotović Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Christos Alexopoulos Department of Medical Studies, The Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac, Cuprija, Serbia
Svetlana Radević Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v53i6.15906

Keywords: Infertility; Quality of life; Infertile couples

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the quality of life and the factors that determine the quality of life of infertile couples.

Methods: The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic "Narodni Front" in Belgrade, the Special Gynecology Hospital "Ferona" in Novi Sad, the Special Hospital for the Treatment of Sterility and In Vitro Fertilization "Spebo Medikal" in Leskovac and the General Hospital in Valjevo, Serbia in 2022, on a sample of 378 infertile couples. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire, the integral part of which is the standardized FertiQoL scale. Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to determine differences. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Women achieve a significantly lower score on the quality-of-life questionnaire (69.34±11.05) compared to men (73.96±9.87). Women exhibit significantly lower scores in the area of physical, emotional and social functioning (P<0.05). Men who live in the countryside show a lower quality of life score in the emotional (P=0.029) and social (P=0.042) domains. In addition, men over 40 years of age and with a high level of education have a lower quality of life (P=0.08).

Conclusion: Women have a lower quality of life, as do men from rural areas and over 40 years of age. A multidisciplinary approach and community education, as well as the provision of social support with a special emphasis on emotional and material support, would significantly contribute to improving the quality of life of infertile couples.