Sterility and narcissism

Abstract

A hypothesis linking infertility of psychogenic origin with narcissism is proposed in this discourse to a meeting of psychoanalysts. The author suggest that an inharmonious relationship between the primary narcissism of the infant and secondary narcissism may be at the root of some seemingly inexplicable cases of infertility. The case of a woman of about 30 years who had great difficulty becoming pregnant although no other source of infertility could be found is used to illustrate the argument. After about a year of thrice weekly psychoanalytic sessions the patient announced that she was pregnant. She subsequently gave birth to a healthy daughter. Cases in which couples achieve pregnancy after years of failed attempts followed by adoption may perhaps be explained by similar mechanisms. The adopted infant may become a source and reservoir of narcissism permitting the woman and man to share primary and secondary narcissism in the process compensating for any earlier deficit.