The constraining impact of infertility on women's leisure lifestyles

Research has focused on documenting the physiological causes and psychological consequences of infertility, while other issues such as the impact of infertility on a woman's leisure and quality of life have received little attention (Imeson and McMurray, 1996). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine the constraining influence of infertility on a woman's leisure lifestyle. Through an analysis of the data, three ways the experience of infertility affected a woman's access to or enjoyment of leisure pursuits included: (1) the all-consuming experience of infertility resulted in women who had little or no leisure in their lives, (2) the changes in a woman's life as a result of seeking infertility treatment negatively impacted her leisure lifestyle, and (3) the women felt socially isolated as a result of infertility, which negatively influenced their leisure satisfaction.