The present study aims to highlight how women perceive and adapt to infertility difficulties. To better understand the difficulties that women diagnosed with infertility are experiencing, the study explores this concept in correlation with anxiety and coping. 240 women with fertility problems from various parts of Romania completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Form Y), Brief COPE and the scale “Difficulties With Infertility and Its Treatment.” Statistical analyzes showed that women who were at the beginning of treatment obtained higher scores on the anxiety [F(2,237) = 4.76, p = 0.009] and on the difficulties scale [F(2,237) = 3.53, p = 0.031], compared to participants who resorted to repeated fertilization procedures. It is important to emphasize that there is a significant positive correlation between the perception of infertility difficulties and coping, and also between difficulties and state anxiety. Regarding the relationship between state anxiety and coping, there were significant positive associations between maladaptive coping strategies and state anxiety, while adaptive strategies were negatively associated with state anxiety. In addition, regarding coping strategies, venting and self-blame occurred predominantly in women who know that the cause of infertility is female-related. These findings draws attention to the fact that infertile women live this experience at very high levels of anxiety, using quite a few adaptive coping mechanisms. These results highlight the need to investigate ways to reduce anxiety and optimizing adaptive coping strategies.

Background:The present study focuses on examining the association between attachment pattern, anxiety and perceived infertilityrelated difficulties of women with fertility concerns. Also, the study explores the moderating role of attachment in the relationship between infertility duration and perceived difficulties, but also in the relationship between anxiety and infertility difficulties. Methods: Our study is a descriptive, correlational one. Quantitative data was used, employing transversal and quantitative analysis, thus proving the study to be an experimental one. Survey data was obtained from a total of 240 women with fertility problems (N = 240), aged between 22 and 46 years old (M = 32.71, SD = 4.85). Results: Results show that participants with a pattern of secure attachment had obtained lower scores on state anxiety, trait anxiety and the difficulties scale compared to those with an avoidant one. Also, women that had undergone repeated in vitro fertilization procedures had significantly higher avoidant attachment scores than those that had undergone a single treatment procedure. Another important result is that avoidant attachment moderates the relationship between trait-anxiety and the global difficulties perceived by infertile women. Conclusions: The results of the study show that women can be deeply affected by failed fertilization attempts and repeated miscarriages; as a consequence, they might feel powerless because they cannot become mothers, which leads, over time, to feelings of anxiety, depression, especially when they do not benefit from social support and have not developed resilience mechanisms.