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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Fertility Preservation Through Oocyte Vitrification: Clinical and Laboratory Perspectives
Published on: September 16, 2021
Fluoxetine treatment for anxiety in women undergoing in vitro fertilization
Paulo Serafini1, Daniela Sabatini Lobo, Adriana Grosman
1Huntington Medicina Reprodutiva, São Paulo, Brazil. pserafini@huntington.com.br
Objective:
To compare anxiety levels experienced during 4 stressful periods of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and treatment outcomes between women taking fluoxetine and a placebo.
Methods:
A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients allocated to receive either fluoxetine (FLX) or folic acid (FA). Anxiety state was assessed at the beginning of ovarian stimulation (OS), ovum pick-up, embryo transfer, and on the day of the pregnancy test (DPT) using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
Results:
Baseline STAI-S and STAI-T were normal. From OS to DPT, STAI-S increased from 42.8+/-10.6 to 44+/-9.0 in the FLX group and from 40.9+/-8.1 to 45.3+/-8.3 in the FA group (P=0.03 and P=0.001, respectively). IVF outcome was not affected by the treatment in the two groups.
Conclusions:
Caution is needed in prescribing fluoxetine to alleviate anxiety in patients undergoing IVF. Studies are needed to determine whether other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or higher fluoxetine doses can relieve emotional distress without affecting IVF outcome.
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Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic circuitry.