Threat of biographical disruption: Impact of infertility on life course and identity | |
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“It’s is hard to feel like a true adult until you have a child”: Parenthood as central to adulthood | |
Born to be a parent: Desire for parenthood | |
Parenthood as central to adult identity: | |
“I feel like an inadequate failure”: Infertility as a threat to gender identity | |
Fraudulent woman: Infertility as a threat to femininity | |
Inferior and impotent: Threat to masculine identity | |
“The worst part is waiting and worrying”: Unknown fertility status and delayed parenthood | |
Uncertainty and anxiety of fertility status | |
Difficulty of needing to wait | |
Impact of cancer on future children | |
Men avoiding fertility assessment | |
“Mourning the loss of future children”: Feelings of loss and grief | |
“Being made to feel more inadequate on a regular basis”: Absence of understanding and support | |
Conflict or withdrawal: absence of partner support | |
Judgement or discomfort: negative responses of friends and family | |
Absence of understanding or information from health care professionals. | |
“Having children is second to living”: Benefit finding and renegotiation of identity | |
Accepting a life without children | |
Nurturing through other means | |
Re-evaluating life priorities – renegotiating identity | |
Importance of support from significant others | |
Health care professional support |