MOTHERHOOD, MOTHERLINESS, AND PSYCHOGENIC INFERTILITY

This paper revives an issue dormant in recent psychoanalytic literatur e-that of psychogenic causes of infertility. Modern technology to over come anatomic or physiological blocks to fertility has probably contri buted to the assumption that the psychogenic issue is obsolete. Howeve r, a broader perspective on the vicissitudes of pregnancy and motherho od in women who have particular psychological problems warrants recons ideration of the rationale for psychoanalytic evaluation and treatment . Three case presentations illustrate similar psychological issues tha t may interfere with the ability or wish to conceive. A hitherto unrep orted commonality in these cases is conscious and unconscious guilt an d hostility toward a defective or deceased male sibling.