insecurities in infertile men. Laura A. Peronace, from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, said, “Male factor infertility is proposed to have such a social stigma that it produces stress, and a culture of secrecy and protectiveness to the extent that women sometimes even take the blame for the couple's childlessness.” However, infertile men are likely to be depressive and anxious, and have lower masculinity scores and self-esteem. Often, males do not show emotional stress in attempts to be the emotional stability within the relationship. Men cannot suppress such feelings for long periods of time without repercussions. Effects of infertility on sexual adequacy Feelings about fertility and sexual adequacy are interconnected for many men, especially through male factor infertility. Couples with long term infertility, who have faced much treatment failure, report higher levels of depression, low satisfaction with their sex lives, and low levels of well being.” The stigma of male factor infertility described earlier has huge effects on the man. The problems infertile men have with sexual inadequacy stem from social ridicule and resulting low self-esteem. It is estimated that 40% of infertile individuals experience significant emotional distress with possible long-term implications. M.J. Muller, from the University of Mainz, Germany, said, “Sexual dissatisfaction of infertile men could also be related to a withdrawal from sexual activities and hence to even lower chances of conception.” Infertility can plague an individual all of their life. Subjects are infertile if they have unprotected sex for 12 months resulting in no pregnancy. This means that the diagnosed infertility may be temporary and/or reversible. Psychological treatment The most prevalent psychological treatment is counseling and marriage therapy. A lot of men believe that there are numerous disincentives to psychological treatment despite its potential benefits, especially for those forms of infertility most linked to psychological and behavioral factors. Men are much less likely to seek out psychological help than women. Men who acknowledge infertility, articulate the sources of their anxiety, express their loss of confidence in sexual adequacy, deal openly with their wives' disappointment and anger, and consciously redefine their male and marital roles show improved sperm counts and may even be more successful at impregnating their wives. There is an important role of psychoanalytic treatment when dealing with male infertility. Citations References Male infertility Psychological effects Sexology