Study of Anxiety and Depression in Couples receiving Infertility Treatment at a Tertiary Care Centre in North India
Arpit Jaiswal, Shubham Sharma, Raies Ahmed, Sabahuddin Ammar
Author(s)2Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rajshree Medical College, Rithora, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
3Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rajshree Medical Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
4Consultant Psychiatrist, Autonomous State Medical College, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
Background: Psychological distress during infertility is a common entity which may present differently in males and females. The objective is to investigate the frequency of anxiety and despair in infertile couples receiving infertility therapy. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional observational cohort study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital after taking Hospital Ethics committee approval. With their written and informed agreement, 160 consecutive infertile couples (cases) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were either newly registered for treatment or receiving treatment through assisted reproductive technology (ART) were recruited for the study. The data collection was carried out during a period of 18 months from Feb 2024 to July 2025. Results: The study investigated the prevalence and severity of psychiatric co-morbidities in couples undergoing ART for infertility. Psychological distress during infertility is a common entity which may present differently in males and females. This cross-sectional study specifically compared prevalence of 02 crucial manifestations i.e. anxiety and depression in both the genders. Conclusion: This study draws attention to clinically significant levels of psychological distress (anxiety and depression) among infertile couples while undergoing infertility treatment via ART, which is an important factor for discontinuation of treatment or its failure rate.
Keywords: Anxiety disorders, Depression, Infertility.