Infertility, marriage and divorce

The effect of infertility on a couples’ relationship is well know to most of us in the the field of reproductive medicine.  We have all seen our patients’ marriages fall apart even in those couples who are successful. Now, investigators in Denmark have looked at couples who went through fertility testing and looked at divorce rates. They found that couples who went through testing but never conceived had a 3 fold chance of divorce as compared to those who had children. Does this mean having children can save a bad marriage? Probably not, but it does suggest that couples who are successful with treatment (or on their own) are more likely to have their marriages survive.