The Association of Dietary and Psychological Variables with Infertility

Objective: To investigate the association of dietary and psychological health variables with infertility. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to non-pregnant women aged 18-34 years. Data were collected on dietary topics (practices, formal diets, psychological beliefs) and psychological health (depression, anxiety, stress). Covariates included demographics and medical history. Infertility was defined as self-reported clinical diagnosis or lack of conception for more than one year with at least 18 months elapsed time since the last birth. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of infertility. Results: Among 398 participants, 149 (37.4%) met the criteria for infertility. In multivariate analysis, the belief of being overweight (OR 2.59; 95% CI: 1.40-4.81) was significantly associated with infertility, whereas other dietary variables were not. Moderate-to-severe anxiety (OR 2.01; 95% CI: 1.08-3.72) and high perceived stress (OR 1.86; 95% CI: 1.07-3.23) were also significantly associated with infertility, while depression showed no significant association. Conclusion: We recommend that clinicians adopt a comprehensive approach to early infertility evaluation that includes not only formal screening for psychological health status, but also psychological aspects of diet. Such early identification and lifestyle interventions in these domains may improve reproductive outcomes and enhance patient care.