The consequences of involuntary childlessness are influenced by culture in several ways. In this study we explored the experiences and responses of infertile Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with involuntarily childless Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands (11 couples and 9 women). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The respondents' experiences were clustered around six superordinate themes: effects on self; effects on the relationship with the partner; effects on the relationship with others; disclosure; coping; and the future. Most transcripts revealed that involuntary childlessness has a profound negative influence on multiple aspects of the lives of the respondents. Strong pronatalist ideology, misconceptions about infertility and treatment, and migration-related aspects such as language difficulties, appear to play a role in the negative experiences of Turkish immigrants. Respondents reported several ways of coping (to some extent) with these negative experiences. © 2009 The Author(s).

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) Turkish people immigrants culture Turkey Stigma minorities Infertility Coping and adaptation Reproduction

personal experience self disclosure Netherlands ideology immigrant Asian middle aged Turkey (republic) coping behavior priority journal Adaptation, Psychological human relation family conflict Young Adult Humans Interviews as Topic Emigrants and Immigrants male female phenomenology Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article adult Turkey Cultural Characteristics Infertility, Female childlessness social behavior Infertility, Male