Correlation of the etiology of infertility with life satisfaction and mood disorders in couples who undergo assisted reproductive technologies

Background: This study compared common psychological symptoms and life satisfaction in husbands and wives according to infertility diagnosis

Materials and Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study on 248 infertile couples between November 1, 2014 and February 28, 2015 at Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran. Participants answered three questionnaires. First, they completed a demographic questionnaire followed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS, 14-item self-report instrument] composed of two sub-scales: anxiety [HADS-A] and depression [HADS-D]. Participants also completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale [SLWS] comprised of 5 items. Both our questionnaires were validated for the Iranian population

Results: In couples with male factor infertility, wives had a significantly higher mean score for anxiety compared to their husbands [P<0.001]. When the cause of infertility was female factor, the wives appeared significantly more anxious [P<0.001] and depressed [P=0.004] than their husbands. Male patients, those with unknown and female factors, expressed greater satisfaction with life compared to other male patients [P=0.022]. Significantly greater depression existed among the couples in which the wives' educational levels was above their husbands [P=0.045]

Conclusion: Our findings showed that when the infertility etiology was male factor, female factors or unexplained, wives showed significantly higher anxiety than their husbands. In couples diagnosed with female factor infertility, wives showed significantly more depression than their husbands

[ comparison of serum level of selenium in women with preeclampsia and normal pregnant women]

Preeclampsia is a common complication of pregnancy with the prevalence of 2-7% which increases fetal-maternal mortality. Despite many researches in this field, the etiology of preeclampsia is still unknown and different theories are suggested. Recently the role of deficiency of trace elements is emphasized. Selenium is one of the trace elements which as an antioxidant play an important role in protection of endothelial cells of blood vessel with counterbalancing of oxygen free radicals. The aim of this study was to compare serum level of selenium in women with preeclampsia and normal pregnant women. This cohort study was performed on 35 women with severe preeclampsia as case group and 30 normal pregnant women as control group in Emam Reza Hospital during 2007-2009. Two groups were matched in terms of maternal age, gestational age, and BMI. Serum level of selenium was measured by spectrophotometer with method of atomic absorption. Data was analyzed with SPSS software version 18 and T-student test. P