Predictors and modulators of fertility quality of life in males undergoing their first fertility workup: a four time-point panel study.

This panel study explored predictors and modulators of fertility quality of life in involuntarily childless males undergoing fertility workup in an andrological outpatient clinic in Poznan, Poland. A convenience sample of 185 males, who were of 22-50 (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]: 30.4 ± 4.4) years completed the core scale of Boivin's Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) questionnaire (1) at the baseline, before their initial fertility evaluation (T1); (2) before their second andrological appointment, 2-3 months after the diagnostic disclosure (T2); and (3) before the third (T3) and the fourth (T4) treatment-related or checkup testing appointments. The timing of assessment was synchronized with respondent's andrological visits and routine medical procedures. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U test with the Bonferroni adjustment were used to assess the association between core domain of FertiQoL and factors, such as age, educational status, financial status, marital duration, and female partner's need for fertility treatment. The study found FertiQoL outcomes in the sample were associated with a constellation of factors, whose importance might vary depending on the stage of the procedure. FertiQoL was both determined and modulated by both demographic and fertility-related factors. These characteristics included patient age, their female partner's age, and the interval between female's and male's initial fertility workup. The results of the current study have practical implications and should be considered in support programs for individuals and/or couples with unintentional childlessness.