Infertility may often have a psychological basis. The mind could subconsciously inhibit pregnancy, protecting the couple from excessive demands. This may also be regarded as a psychosomatic protective mechanism.
Psychological causes might include:
- unresolved conflicts within the family (parents, siblings, grandparents) or with former partners
- high self-expectations
- exclusive focus on becoming pregnant
- performance pressure
- perfectionism
- excessive self-control
- inability to grieve the death of a loved one, miscarriage or stillbirth
- unconscious guilt about an earlier abortion
- unconscious fears (e.g. of birth, pregnancy, parental role, attachment)
- relationship conflicts
- unhealthy behaviors under stress
- traumatic experiences
