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Introduction:  The aim of this study is to identify the conditions of war veterans with lumbar and cervical complete spinal cord injuries and their experience in the process of having children.
Method: The study uses a qualitative methodology, essentially applying a phenomenological approach to answering questions of why, how, and what. For this purpose, we interviewed 20 male veterans who (after becoming a veteran) got married between 1981 and 1996 and faced problems such as childlessness or other problems involving having children, in three provinces, namely Tehran, Isfahan and Qom. Interviews with veterans continued until theoretical saturation was reached.
Findings: Depending on different situations they experience – i.e. in terms of family management, other forms of pressures experienced in their lives., e.g. childlessness and having children, veterans chose to stabilize and continue family life and eventually moving towards “self-regulation of family” and married life through their “belief”, “psychological and emotional”, “economic”, and “legal” components.
Discussion: Research results show that veterans got married because it was the only way to avoid the various troubles they faced. This reductionist approach to marriage and starting a family had consequences that some of them could not later get rid of. These consequences include: (1) empty nests (houses without children); (2) sexual dissatisfaction of the couples; (3) attempts to have children through medical interventions and having an only child; (4) heavy burden and role pressure for veterans’ spouses, and (5) adoption. Their spouses often act as caregivers for veterans and their children.

Keywords: Lived experience, Veterans with complete spinal cord injury, Having children, Starting a family

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