Reconstructing Their Lives: A Longitudinal,Qualitative Analysis of the Transition to Biological Childlessness for Infertile Couples

A 3‐year, longitudinal study was conducted to determine how infertile couples make the transition to biological childlessness after medical treatment fails. Four in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 37 couples at 10‐month intervals beginning within 2 months after they stopped trying to conceive. Phenomenological analysis of these data indicated progressive adaptation by the participants to their biological childlessness over time, with greater overall life satisfaction being most apparent for those who were successful in creating their families through adoption.