Introduction: Infertility is a global health issue, affecting more than 186 million people worldwide. In most cultures, being childless is an undesirable social role, and infertility is an unexpected situation that can jeopardize the well-being of an individual and a couple. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present ways of coping with infertility in women and men, and to describe the role of nurses during the infertility diagnostic and treatment process. Methods: In the paper, we used the descriptive work method. We searched for literature in the CINAHL, Medline, Google Scholar, COBBIB.si, and Science Direct databases. We reviewed professional and scientific Slovene and foreign literature written in English in the period between 2010 and 2021. Results: A more detailed analysis included 21 articles, most of which are at the second, fifth, and sixth levels according to the hierarchy of evidence. The results showed that infertile couples often show signs of anxiety, depression, and distress. Many infertile couples face social isolation, feel rejected by the society, and are unable to live as a family; some even believe that infertility can be a reason for separation from their partner. Infertile couples also experience sexual disorders such as erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual arousal, and reduced desire for sexual intercourse. Nurses play an important role in the infertility diagnosis and treatment process of an infertile couple, as the implementation of nursing interventions also includes encouragement and reassurance of infertile couples as well as providing health education. Discussion and conclusion: Infertility can negatively affect the quality of life of an individual and a couple and trouble their relationship, but it can also improve their relationship, as its impact mainly depends on how partners deal with infertility. The involvement of nurses is also important in the process of coping well with stress and infertility, as nurses encourage couples, carry out therapeutic communication, and provide advice.
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