Objective: Involuntarily not being able to conceive a
child has always been a social stigma which has resulted
in emotional trauma and relationship strain. Body image
is affected by infertility. Although several studies have
revealed emotional stress in infertile individuals in Turkey
and compared western and eastern societies’ view of
body image in infertile women, a comparison between
highly fertile and infertile women has never been made
before. Herein, we aimed to compare body image perception between infertile women and highly fertile
women in the southeast part of Turkey. Method: In this
study, 67 infertile and 59 highly fertile (women having
children more than 5) women were enrolled. Body Image
Scale was applied to both groups. Some sociodemographic information such as age, smoking status, and
difficulties experienced in infertility processes were evaluated. Results: We showed that Body Image Scale
scores including sexual power were significantly higher
in highly fertile women. Body image was not associated
with the gender of the child/children. The infertile group
was found to have less smoking rates than the highly fertile group. Discussion: Therefore, the conclusion drawn
deduces that body image is negatively affected by infertility and positively affected by high fertility, especially, in
societies where having many children is expected and
appreciated
