The impact of anxiety and depression on the medical treatment of infertile women

Objectives. Infertility is a chronic illness with significant emotional impact on women. This study examines the levels of anxiety and depression in female infertility patients, comparing those that will use in vitro fertilization as treatment with other infertility patients.;Design. Female subjects were recruited from patients presenting for treatment at a metropolitan reproductive endocrinology facility. Anxiety and depression levels were assessed.;Materials and methods. Women were given demographic and psychological assessment instruments to evaluate levels of anxiety and depression present at their initial medical consultation at a metropolitan reproductive endocrinology facility.;Results. Women who were undergoing in vitro fertilization procedures were demographically and psychologically similar to other infertility patients, not more anxious or more depressed than women using other treatment modalities. Women who had children from their current or previous relationships demonstrated less depression than women who had never had children. Anxiety did not correlate with the absence of children. Anxiety levels were similar in women whether they carry the diagnosis or their partner does. This study did not find that psychological functioning changed over the duration of infertility.;Conclusions. Infertility is a biopsychosocial disorder, inferring medical conditions, individual self-identity issues, and social pressures within one diagnostic category. This research has shown that a woman brings psychological factors to her very first appointment that impact on the course of treatment. As previous researchers have found, infertile women generally score within the normal range on psychological assessment instruments. Because women's anxiety and depression levels are similar regardless of which partner carries the diagnosis, this suggests that women are doing the emotional work in the relationship and that the underlying meaning of infertility is the same. The presence of biological children in their lives to establish sex role competency seems to significantly influence depression levels.;The linking of mental states and medical illness is well known. This study supports the use of mental health professionals in all infertility clinics and suggests that their role be expanded to provide ongoing and group treatment as well as one-time evaluations.