The lived experiences of primary female factor infertility within the social context : a phenomenological study

Abstract: Primary infertility may be overlooked as a major life event which can lead to major changes in social participation and self-identity. Although a readily expected conse-quence of infertility is childlessness, the social context proves to play a role in creating individually specific lived experiences. The aim of the study was to establish how the social context mediates the lived experiences of infertility in South African women with diverse social identities. This study offers an understanding of infertility as not only a medical problem but also one that is socially located with the capability of challenging women’s self-identity and of inducing psychological distress. The literature indicates social interpretations of infertility according to accepted ideologies and practices, but there is minimal indication of the role that this plays in women with actual infertility as well as the implications that this holds against their command of personhood and iden-tity. This qualitative inquiry deployed a phenomenological research method, with her-meneutic phenomenology particularly chosen for its formulation. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants and a total of seven participants were inter-viewed. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Giorgi’s phenomenological method of analysis...D.Phil. (Psychology