The Effect of NaProTECHNOLOGY on Marital Interaction in Couples with Infertility

Background: Infertility, or the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to live birth, affects one in sixteen married women. Stress that arises from infertility treatment may affect marital interaction, specifically, satisfaction. An emerging approach in infertility diagnosis and treatment called NaProTECHNOLOGY (NPT) may benefit marital interactions; however, no studies have explored marital satisfaction in this specific population. Objectives: To examine demographic variables and marital satisfaction scores in couples with infertility who are using NPT. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was completed utilizing demographic surveys and the Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS). Results: The sample consisted of 36 couples with mean ages of 34.67 years for men and 33.31 years for women; most were White, held at least a bachelor’s degree, employed, had an annual income of $75,000 or greater, and Catholic. Mean IMS scores were 12.08 for men and 11.75 for women, indicating marital satisfaction. Paired t-tests demonstrated no statistical significant difference between genders (p = 0.772), but did show a positive Pearson correlation of 0.672. A scatter plot demonstrated a positive relationship with a linear regression (r²) of 0.451. There were no statistically significant relationships between IMS scores and demographic variables. Conclusions: The majority of couples reported marital satisfaction. It is difficult to determine if this is related to the demographics of the respondents or related to NPT. Implications for Nursing: Nurse practitioners should be aware of the potential effect infertility and treatment can have on marital satisfaction. Future studies are necessary to further explore and expand this topic