For couples undergoing fertility treatments, deciding when, whether and/or with whom to share their journey can be difficult. Yet an interesting study from the University of Iowa has revealed that it may end in a socially, scientifically predictable decision.

The study looked at couples who had been through fertility treatments and evaluated the people with whom they talked about their experiences. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research as well as the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships were definitely interesting:

When the woman was the person with the fertility issue, the couple tended to tell a great deal of people, including their family and friends. However, when the man had the fertility problems, the couple was less likely to talk about it.

The study’s authors used their data to make a conclusion that social mores surrounding expectations of males and females in western culture may have something to do with their reactions and actions. For instance, they suggested that women might be under pressure to explain why they didn’t have children by a certain age; consequently, they would be justifying their childless statuses. For men, this stigma wasn’t quite as strong; in fact, they might be hesitant to say they were undergoing fertility treatments for fear of it adversely affecting the way they were perceived by those around them.

Of course, these results are based on conjecture and every partnership is unique. Plus, there are many factors involved in the “to tell or not to tell” decision. However, the University of Iowa research has given way for further dialogue and investigation to be held on the topic.

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