The sorry plight of infertile couples has attracted the interest of the author for several years. His experience suggests that their silent suffering deserves to be shared and relieved. In private practice between 1969 and 1975 his records show that 332 couples sought advice about their infertility, an average of 47 per year. Yet so many of them seemed to become readily disheartened, in some cases because they expected "miracle" pills or injections, in others because the husband would not countenance the idea that he should be investigated, and in many cases for no clear reason at all. In this paper a study of perseverance in relation to childless couples is presented and discussed, emphasizing that with determination the success rate can reach satisfying proportions and that the prospects are becoming brighter.

peer-reviewed