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

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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

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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]

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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