The Effect of Depression and Anxiety on the Outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Gynecology Infertility, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

2 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Success of assisted reproductive treatment may be dependent a
variable factors such as the woman’s distress level at the term of the treatment. This
study was designed to evaluate the effect of anxiety and depression of infertile
women on the outcome of ART.
Material and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 300 infertile
women who volunteered to undergo ART in Montasariya Infertility Center of
Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. They consecutively invited and agreed to
participate. Before down-regulation by means of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone
(GnRH) analogues patients were asked to complete the State and Trait Anxiety
Inventory to measure anxiety, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to measure
depression and individual specifications’ questionnaires. Pregnancy tests were done
15 days after performing IUI and IVF.
Results: There were no significant statistical relation between different levels of
depression and the infertility treatment outcome (p = 0.19). This relationship was
significant between different levels of state and trait anxiety and treatment outcome
(p = 0.019 & p = 0.016). With the increase of anxiety the positive result of
pregnancy test was less probable.
Conclusion: An accurate assessment of the infertile women by a team of specialists
consisting of a clinical psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a gynecologist is needed so
that their anxiety would be reduced and better outcome achieved. 

Keywords

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The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
September 2008
Pages 119-126

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