Abstract
Purpose: The objectives of this study were to compareaverage stress levels in infertile women to fertile women, todetermine the stress levels whether the patients was pregnantor not pregnant, and to examine for a cross-section ofinfertile patients in different stages of medical investigation forthe infertility.
Methods: One hundred thirty-eight women receivingmedical treatment for infertility attended the program. The StateTrait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck DepressionInventory (BDI) of perceived stress associated with theinfertility was the outcome measure.
Results: Infertile women showed significant increases intrait anxiety and depressive symptoms than the fertilewomen. Anxiety and depression in the in vitro fertilization(IVF)-failed women were significantly higher than theIVF-success women. According to the duration of infertility, STAIand BDI were moderately elevated in the first stage(< 3 year). There was a trend of a decreasing psychological stresswith an advanced infertility duration. On depression scales,the intermediate and final duration of infertility patientsshowed less symptomatology than the first-stage patients.Contrary to the expectation, demographic factors such asreligion and husband cooperation were not related to theexperience of stress.
Conclusions: We must pay an attention to the infertilepatient, especially from the initial infertility workup. Werecommend psychological counselling for IVF-failedpatients.
Keywords: Psychological stress, infertile women
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (26.1 KB).
REFERENCES
- 1.O'Moore AM, O'Moore RR, Harrison RF, Murphy G, Garruthers ME. Psychosomatic aspects in idiopathic infertility: Effects of treatment with autogenic training. J Psychosom Res. 1983;27:145–151. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(83)90091-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Baram D, Tourtelot E, Muechier E, Huang KE. Psychosocial adjustment following unsuccessful in vitro fertilization. J Psychosome Obstet Gynecol. 1988;9:181–190. [Google Scholar]
- 3.Mahlstedt PP, MacDuff S, Bernstein J. Emotional factors and the in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer process. J In Vitro Fertil Embryo Transfer. 1987;4:232–236. doi: 10.1007/BF01533762. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Berg BJ, Wilson JF. Psychological functioning across stages of treatment for infertility. J Behav Med. 1991;14:11–26. doi: 10.1007/BF00844765. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Mahlstedt PP. Psychological issues of infertility and assisted reproductive technology. Urol Clin N Am. 1994;21:557–566. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Harlow CR, Fahy UM, Talbot WM, Wardle PG, Hull MG. Stress and stress-related hormones during in-vitro fertilization treatment. Hum Reprod. 1996;11:274–279. doi: 10.1093/humrep/11.2.274. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 7.Sanders KA, Bruce NW. A prospective study of psychological stress and fertility in women. Hum Reprod. 1997;12:2324–2329. doi: 10.1093/humrep/12.10.2324. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 8.Kopitzke EJ, Berg BJ, Wilson JF, Owens D. Physical and emotional stress associated with components of the infertility investigation: Perspectives of professionals and patients. Fertil Steril. 1991;55:1137–1143. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)54365-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 9.Newton CR, Hearn MT, Yuzpe AA. Psychological assessment and follow-up after in vitro fertilization: Assessing the impact of failure. Fertil Steril. 1990;54:879–886. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)53950-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 10.Boivin J, Takefman JE. Impact of the in-vitro fertilization process on emotional physical and relational variables. Hum Reprod. 1996;11:903–907. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019276. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]