Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Assessing the Effects of Music Listening on Psychobiological Stress in Daily Life
Published on: February 2, 2017
Effect of music on anxiety during intrauterine insemination: a randomized controlled trial
Sarah C Baumgarten1, Valerie Chen1, Alicia J Ogle2
1Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Objective:
To study the effect of music therapy on patient-reported anxiety and pain during intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures.
Design:
Randomized, controlled trial (NCT05492331).
Subjects:
Patients aged 18 to 45 years undergoing IUI.
Intervention:
Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the music intervention group or nonmusic group. Those randomized to the music therapy group selected their music preference.
Main Outcome Measures:
Differences in mean anxiety and pain between music and nonmusic groups before, during, and after IUI procedure, as assessed by visual analogue scale and Wong Baker pain scale, respectively.
Results:
100 patients met inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to listen to music (n = 50) or no music (n = 50) during their IUI. Baseline factors were similar between groups. There was no difference in patient-reported anxiety or pain scores before or during the IUI procedure. Participants in the music intervention group reported lower post-procedure anxiety scores (12.0, 95% confidence interval [8.3, 15.8] vs. 18.6, 95% confidence interval [13.6, 23.5]) compared with controls and expressed a high degree of satisfaction (92%) with this intervention. Participants in both groups expressed a desire for music therapy in future IUI procedures (88% vs. 68% in the music therapy vs no music groups, respectively).
Conclusion:
Patients who listened to music during IUI reported lower anxiety scores at the conclusion of the procedure and had high satisfaction rates.
Trial Registration:
NCT05492331 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05492331).
