JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):129
Poster Presentation
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263764

P-117. High risk of post-traumatic stress in infertile women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

Pânila Longhi Lorenzzoni1, Joao Paolo Bilibio2, Arivaldo Jose Conceição Meireles3, Ligia Konig4, Maria Eduarda Branco4, Joao Sabino Cunha-Filho1

1 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul PPGCM - Porto Alegre - RS – Brasil
2 FertiBC Centro de Reprodução Humana - Balneário Camboriú - SC – Brasil
3 PRONATUS – Bélem - PA – Brasil 4 UNIFEBE – Brusque – SC - Brasil

Objective: To investigate post-traumatic stress symptoms and trauma-related cognitions in infertile women during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to fertile controls, using validated psychometric instruments.
Methods: treatments and fertile women without a history of infertility. Psychological assessments were conducted at three time points: early pandemic (Phase 1), 3–6 months later (Phase 2), and 18–24 months later (Phase 3). Instruments included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42), Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL), Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire (QMA), Centrality of Event Scale (ECE), Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Intra- and intergroup comparisons were performed using non-parametric statistical tests.
Results: Infertile participants exhibited significantly higher scores on the ECE and PTCI scales compared to fertile controls, particularly in identity centrality, life trajectory impact, and maladaptive trauma-related beliefs (p<0.001). Although total PCL-5 scores were similar between groups, 22.2% of infertile women met the clinical cutoff for PTSD risk, versus 4.3% of fertile women (p=0.150). FertiQoL scores declined significantly in the infertile group, mainly in the Mind–Body and Environment domains (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed between groups in DASS-42 or QMA outcomes.
Conclusion: Infertile women demonstrated greater trauma-related cognitive vulnerability during the pandemic, even in the absence of classical PTSD symptom escalation. These findings underscore the importance of trauma-informed psychological care in infertility settings, particularly during periods of systemic stress or disruption.