quality of life of infertile women in iran: a systematic review

Introduction: several studies have been conducted in iran regarding the quality of life of infertile patients. the quality of life of infertile patients has been examined from different angles. accordingly, we decided to evaluate the quality of life of infertile women by conducting a structured review of all available studies, considering the heterogeneity of studies.methods: this study is a systematic review. this study used the articles published in noormags, magiran, sivilica, sid, irandok, proquest, pubmed, science direct, and web of science databases between 2000 and august 2023. the search was done using the keywords quality of life and infertile, infertility, sterility, reproductive sterility, subfertility, and iran. the heterogeneity of the studies was examined using cochrane’s q test and i2 statistics. the random effects model was used to synthesize studies that had heterogeneity (cochrane’s q p < 0.10 and i2 > 50%), and egger’s test was used for publication bias.results: the results revealed that the quality of life of infertile women, fertile women, and infertile couples is different. age, economic status, level of education, physical health, mental health, irrational thoughts, and the pressure of others to have children and the masculine factor affect the quality of life score of infertile people. the meta-analysis results indicate that the mean quality of life score in infertile women is 71.2 (with a confidence interval of 95%).conclusion: the results indicate a lower quality of life score for infertile women compared to fertile women and infertile men. thus, it seems necessary to use appropriate counseling and training to improve these women’s quality of life. the treatment staff should pay attention to psychological issues and the physiological aspects of treatment.