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Infertility remains a top stressor despite the COVID-19 pandemic

Denis A Vaughan1, Jaimin S Shah1, Alan S Penzias1

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston MA, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA; Boston IVF, Waltham MA, USA.

Reproductive Biomedicine Online
|July 1, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The stress of infertility remains a significant concern for patients, comparable to the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This highlights the ongoing mental health challenges faced by individuals undergoing fertility treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented societal and economic uncertainty.
  • Infertility patients often experience significant psychological distress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients undergoing infertility treatment.
  • To compare the stress levels associated with infertility versus the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was distributed to patients at a US university-affiliated infertility practice.
  • Respondents identified their top three stressors from a predefined list at three time points.
  • 2202 non-pregnant female respondents were included in the final analysis.

Main Results:

  • Infertility was consistently reported as the most frequent top stressor across all time points.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a significant stressor, ranking third in early March and becoming comparable to infertility stress by the time of writing (66% vs 63%).
  • A notable percentage of patients (6%) believed infertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), should be suspended during the pandemic.

Conclusions:

  • The psychological burden of infertility remains a primary stressor for patients, even amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The stress associated with infertility is comparable in magnitude to the stress caused by the pandemic itself.
  • The findings underscore the need for continued mental health support for infertility patients during public health crises.
Abstract

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