JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):170
Poster Presentation
29^th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263918

P-158. Mental Health in Fertile and Infertile Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Cohort Study

Panila Longhi Lorenzzoni¹, Joao Paolo Bilibio², Arivaldo José Conceição Meireles³, Ligia Konig⁴, Maria Eduarda Branco⁴, João Sabino Cunha-Filho¹

¹ Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre - RS – Brasil
³ PRONATUS – Bélem - PA – Brasil ⁴ UNIFEBE – Brusque – SC - Brasil

Objective: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress among infertile and fertile women.
Methods: This prospective cohort study evaluated psychological distress using the DASS-42 scale at two time points: Phase 1 (early pandemic, during suspension of fertility treatments) and Phase 2 (six months later). Participants included infertile women undergoing IVF whose embryo transfer was postponed (Infertile Group, n=37), and fertile women who had given birth more than six months earlier without a history of infertility (Fertile Group, n=33). The study was approved by the National Research Ethics Committee (CAAE: 32964620.3.1001.5334).
Results: The mean age was higher in the infertile group (37.8 vs 35.5 years; p=0.001). In Phase 1, infertile women reported significantly higher levels of stress (7.7 vs 5.6; p=0.018) and depression (4.0 vs 2.3; p=0.002), with no significant difference in anxiety (3.4 vs 2.7; p=0.389). In Phase 2, stress (3.7 vs 3.1; p=0.201), depression (4.0 vs 3.5; p=0.446), and anxiety (5.8 vs 5.4; p=0.666) scores were similar between groups. Longitudinal analysis among infertile women showed a significant reduction in stress (p=0.027), a worsening of depression (p=0.006), and stable anxiety levels (p=0.101).
Conclusion: At the onset of the pandemic, infertile women experienced significantly higher levels of psychological distress compared to fertile controls, especially in stress and depressive symptoms. Over time, stress levels decreased—possibly reflecting behavioral adaptation—while depressive symptoms worsened, suggesting emotional exhaustion and persistent psychological burden. These findings highlight that emotional domains such as stress, anxiety, and depression may follow distinct trajectories during crises, reinforcing the need for individualized and longitudinal psychological support. Mental health care should be considered a core component of fertility treatment, not only during crises but also in routine practice, particularly for vulnerable populations such as infertile women.