Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study
Purpose To explore the psychological status of infertile women and men who had in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment interrupted or postponed because of the COVID-19 emergency. Materials and methods An electronic survey (NCT04395755) was e-mailed between April and June 2020 to couples whose IVF tre...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2020.1853095 |
| _version_ | 1827818628803723264 |
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| author | Fabio Barra Valentina Lucia La Rosa Salvatore Giovanni Vitale Elena Commodari Michele Altieri Carolina Scala Simone Ferrero |
| author_facet | Fabio Barra Valentina Lucia La Rosa Salvatore Giovanni Vitale Elena Commodari Michele Altieri Carolina Scala Simone Ferrero |
| author_sort | Fabio Barra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose To explore the psychological status of infertile women and men who had in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment interrupted or postponed because of the COVID-19 emergency. Materials and methods An electronic survey (NCT04395755) was e-mailed between April and June 2020 to couples whose IVF treatments have been interrupted or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence and severity of symptoms suggestive of anxiety and/or depression were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Subjects with preexisting psychiatric disorders were excluded. Results Overall, 524 out of 646 patients completed the survey. The prevalence of anxiety and/or depression feelings was significantly higher in women, mainly if aged more than 35 years and with a previous IVF attempt. The occurrence of these psychological symptoms was significantly associated with the time spent on COVID-19 related news per day and partner with evidence of psychological disorder and, in females, with a diagnosis of poor ovarian reserve, diagnosis of endometriosis or uterine fibroids. Conclusions The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the infertile couples who should have undergone IVF treatment has been significant. IVF centers should systematically offer these couples adequate psychological counseling to improve mental health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:57:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e0c7e6831fe1469eb946629691bc6ea4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0167-482X 1743-8942 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:57:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e0c7e6831fe1469eb946629691bc6ea42023-09-14T12:44:01ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology0167-482X1743-89422022-04-0143214515210.1080/0167482X.2020.18530951853095Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional studyFabio Barra0Valentina Lucia La Rosa1Salvatore Giovanni Vitale2Elena Commodari3Michele Altieri4Carolina Scala5Simone Ferrero6Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of CataniaObstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Department of General Surgery and Medical Surgical Specialties, University of CataniaDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of CataniaAcademic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San MartinoDivision of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gaslini InstituteDepartment of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of GenoaPurpose To explore the psychological status of infertile women and men who had in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment interrupted or postponed because of the COVID-19 emergency. Materials and methods An electronic survey (NCT04395755) was e-mailed between April and June 2020 to couples whose IVF treatments have been interrupted or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence and severity of symptoms suggestive of anxiety and/or depression were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Subjects with preexisting psychiatric disorders were excluded. Results Overall, 524 out of 646 patients completed the survey. The prevalence of anxiety and/or depression feelings was significantly higher in women, mainly if aged more than 35 years and with a previous IVF attempt. The occurrence of these psychological symptoms was significantly associated with the time spent on COVID-19 related news per day and partner with evidence of psychological disorder and, in females, with a diagnosis of poor ovarian reserve, diagnosis of endometriosis or uterine fibroids. Conclusions The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the infertile couples who should have undergone IVF treatment has been significant. IVF centers should systematically offer these couples adequate psychological counseling to improve mental health.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2020.1853095infertilitycovid-19ivfanxietydepression |
| spellingShingle | Fabio Barra Valentina Lucia La Rosa Salvatore Giovanni Vitale Elena Commodari Michele Altieri Carolina Scala Simone Ferrero Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology infertility covid-19 ivf anxiety depression |
| title | Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | psychological status of infertile patients who had in vitro fertilization treatment interrupted or postponed due to covid 19 pandemic a cross sectional study |
| topic | infertility covid-19 ivf anxiety depression |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2020.1853095 |
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