Negative life events have detrimental effects on in-vitro fertlization outcome.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of negative life events on in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) outcome. Depression and negative life events were measured using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and List of Recent Events in 83 women attending the IVF clinic of a tertiary research and education hospital with the diagnosis of unexplained infertility between January 2013 and August 2013. Demographic features, stimulation parameters, depression scores, and negative life events of pregnant and non-pregnant participants were compared and the relation between negative life events, depression scores, and IVF outcome was investigated. Women who did not achieve a pregnancy experienced more negative life events than women who became pregnant (77.2% vs. 23.1%) (p > 0.001). The number of patients with moderate-to-severe depression (BDI scores > 16) was higher in the non-pregnant group than pregnant group (49.1% vs. 26.9%), however the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.057). Clinical pregnancy showed a significant moderate negative correlation with the number of negative life events (r = -0.513, p = 0.001), but the correlation between clinical pregnancy and BDI scores was not statistically significant (r = -0.209, p = 0.059). Stressful life events have a negative influence on the quality of life, which eventually affects in IVF outcome, possibly through maladaptive lifestyle behavior.

Melatonin improves the oocyte and the embryo in IVF patients with sleep disturbances, but does not improve the sleeping problems.

PURPOSE: We aimed to analyse the in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcomes of the patients with sleep disturbances who were administered melatonin. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with sleep disturbances were divided into two groups. The study group (group A, n=30) had underwent the IVF-ET with melatonin administration and the control group (group B, n=30) without melatonin. Sleeping status after melatonin administration and the IVF outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Sleeping status change was not significant (p>0.05). The mean number of the retrieved oocytes, the mean MII oocyte counts, the G1 embryo ratio were significantly higher in the melatonin administered group (group A) than that the non-administered group (group B); p=0.0001; p=0.0001; p<0.05 respectively. CONCLUSION: IVF patients with sleep disorders may benefit from melatonin administration in improving the oocyte and the embryo quality, but the sleeping problem itself may not be fixed.

Infertility history: is it a risk factor for postpartum depression in Turkish women?

PURPOSE: The aim of this cohort study was to assess postpartum depressive symptoms in women who had been successfully treated for primary infertility at 2 teaching hospitals in Turkey in 2008. METHODS: The study groups comprised 51 fertile and 105 infertile women. The number of participants lost to follow-up was 28 fertile and 8 infertile women. "Descriptive Information Questionnaire" developed by the authors, the adapted "Beck Depression Inventory," and the adapted "Postpartum Depression Scanning Scale" were used to collect data. RESULTS: The probability of developing postpartum depression in the infertile group is 1.352 times higher than that in the fertile group. However, this result cannot be considered to be statistically meaningful. A similar correlation was present between the level of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and in the postpartum period in both the infertile and fertile groups. Additional risk factors such as health issues during pregnancy, the notion that pregnancy causes a decrease in libido and negative body image, the infant's gender, pain from incision or infection, and dyspareunia were manifest in the fertile women, but not in the infertile women. CONCLUSION: A history of infertility is not a major factor in postpartum depression. However, a history of depression may contribute to its development during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Infertile women who experience severe anxiety and stress could be more prone to depression and should therefore be monitored closely.