Psychological aspects of reproductive medicine [Psychologische aspekte der reproduktionsmedizin]

Background. Couples who suffer from an unfulfilled desire for children and undergo reproductive medical treatment are often intensively occupied with the medically available options for assisted reproduction. They visit information evenings in reproductive medical centers and collect information via the internet and from the treating physician. In this way centers, physicians and available options from various countries are compared and selected.Aims. This review article gives an overview of the latest developments in the field of psychosocial counselling for the desire to have children.Material and methods. Current core topics on the psychosocial aspects of assisted reproductive techniques are identified from a review of the relevant literature from the last 2 years.Results and discussion. In addition to the standard topics in psychosocial counselling, such as processing of the diagnosis, mental stress due to the treatment and plan B, counsellors are also confronted with questions concerning methods, options, ethical assessment and opinions on newer developments in reproductive medicine (see http://www.bkid.de). A counselling of patients and couples who would like to undertake in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is fundamentally different from, for example counselling for third party sperm donation and even more so for couples who are considering treatment in another country (e.g. egg donation or surrogate mother) or when treatment has remained unsuccessful. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.