Psychosomatic disorders and female infertility

Fertility and infertility are described as a tension between biology and ps yche. Modern reproductive technologies are critically discussed. The danger s of them are generally underestimated and the effects on parents and ivF c hildren are still mostly unknown. Analytically-orientated psychotherapy is presented as an alternative treatment to medically assisted reproduction. L n psychotherapy women have the possibility of recognizing, understanding an d working through their psychic problems or developmental deficiencies, whi ch underly or accompany their infertility. The experience of twenty years o f analytic treatment with infertile women are discussed. Central was the di scovery of traumas in the psyche-social development of these women. Finally , typical relational patterns of these women with significant others in the ir environment are described.