[The difficulty of being St-Joseph. The sterile "father" confronted with artificial insemination by donor (AID) (author's transl)].

Two cases of total marital sexual impotence which occurred after the diagnosis of pregnancy following AID are reported by way of illustration. This impotence was accompanied by reoganisation of the economic situation in the marriage with a declaration that there was a very strong attachment for the wife and the child and a desire to have a second child and apparently for the wife to accept the whole situation. The influence of AID on the dynamics of a couple where the husband is sterile has been presented (it is the theme of a preliminary psychological enquiry which has been undertaken following the creation of CECOS IN 1973). A psychological study is a catch if we try to understand the interpretation. It is necessary to carry out a long-term psychoanalytical study of both partners in the marriage.