JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):195
Poster Presentation
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263890
P-183. Psychological Impact of Assisted Reproduction: A Study on Stress, Depression, and Anxiety In Women
Victoria Cordts1, Giovanna Martins1, Emerson Cordts
1 Universidade Santo Amaro - São Paulo – SP - Brasil
2 Idéia Fértil - São Paulo – SP - Brasil,
Objective: Advances in reproductive medicine have provided treatment alternatives for individuals experiencing difficulties conceiving, thus fulfilling the desire to have children. However, the journey from diagnosis to the outcome of assisted reproductive treatment can trigger complex emotions. This study aims to understand the emotional issues involved in the process by analyzing levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in women undergoing assisted reproduction treatments, correlating these with the time since infertility diagnosis and duration of treatment.
Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional, and quantitative study conducted between January and February 2024 through individualized, voluntary, and anonymous online data collection. The instruments used included: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Infertility-Related Stress Scale (IRSS), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The study was conducted at a large human reproduction center in Brazil. A total of 262 patients participated, of whom 153 completed 100% of the questionnaire, composing the study group, with a mean age of 37 years and a diagnosis of infertility. Data analysis was performed using R software version 4.2.0 via R Studio 2022.02.3
Results: A significant negative relationship was observed between age and the length of time participants intended to continue trying to conceive (p-value=0.00), indicating strong evidence against the null hypothesis. This suggests that as age increases, women plan to try conceiving for shorter periods. A statistically significant negative correlation was also found between age and stress inventory scores (p-value=0.01), indicating that older women tend to present lower stress scores. Likewise, a negative correlation between age and anxiety inventory scores (p-value=0.02) was observed, suggesting that anxiety scores tend to decrease with age. The number of treatments was positively correlated with the total BDI-II score (Rho=0.12, p-value=0.04), suggesting a slight increase in depression scores with a greater number of treatments. The relationship between the number of treatments and the total IRSS score showed a Rho of 0.10 (p-value=0.08), indicating a positive but not statistically significant association between the number of treatments and stress levels. No statistically significant correlation was found between the number of treatments and BAI scores (Rho=0.00, p-value=0.96).
Conclusion: Significant correlations were found between symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, indicating a complex association among these aspects. Depression and anxiety are moderately related to stress, and higher levels of depression are strongly associated with higher levels of anxiety. Our data collectively also suggest a slight relationship between higher BDI scores and both the duration and number of treatments undergone by the patients. Therapeutic approaches should address not only specific care related to anxiety, depression, and stress, but also provide emotional support to the couple as a whole. The results of this study confirm the proposed hypotheses and meet the stated objectives, underscoring the importance of integrated and continuous psychological intervention for patients undergoing assisted reproduction treatment, with the aim of improving emotional well-being and potentially enhancing treatment outcomes.