Psychiatric disorders among infertile and fertile women

This study was performed in order to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors of psychiatric disorders among infertile and fertile women attending Vali-e-Asr Hospital. A total of 150 fertile women from Vali-e-Asr Reproduction Health Research Center and fertile women from the Gynecology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital were chosen by consecutive sampling. Data included demographic information, SCL-90-R, and a semi-structured questionnaire about stress factors. Results showed that 44% of infertile and 28.7% of fertile women had a psychiatric disorder (P < 0.001). Using the SCL-90-R test, the highest mean scores in infertile women were found to be on the paranoid ideation, depression and interpersonal sensitivity scales, and lowest scores were found on the psychoticism and phobic anxiety scales. The interpersonal sensitivity, depression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideas and psychoticism scales were significantly different between infertile and fertile women (P < 0.05). Infertile women were at higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders if they were housewives rather than working women (P = 0.001). Considering the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among infertile women, it seems that gynecologists, psychiatrists and psychologists should be more attentive to identify and treat these disorders. The use of psychotherapy, especially supportive methods, should be considered as part of the general therapeutic framework of infertility.