Psychosocial evaluation of the infertile patient

The role of the mental health professional in evaluating infertility patients has evolved over the past two decades. While some mental health professionals may not believe in the ‘assessment’ portion of their work with infertility patients, many believe it is an integral part of their role in trying to understand what each couple needs as they approach treatment. Most programs now have a mental health provider as part of their treatment team, either on-site or as a designated consultant. This chapter describes the role of the mental health professional in providing psychosocial evaluation to the infertile couple. The chapter reviews the basic and specific areas that need to be addressed in the evaluation of an infertile couple; addresses the use of psychological testing in the context of the evaluation. The role of the mental health professional in the evaluation and screening of infertility patients is relatively new, having evolved over the past twenty to twenty-five years. The use of a mental health professional either as a treatment team member or as a consultant is the norm in most academically based and large private practices in the industrialized world. However, there are still some physicians who do not use a mental health professional to work with their patients.