P151: Emotional Disorders and Anxiety During IVF-Treatment

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies present an enormous hope to couples with fertility difficulties. Assisted reproductive technology is one of the risk factors that can result in anxiety in these couples. Indeed, IVF-treatments cause a stress, for both the woman and her partner. The different stages of the IVF-procedure can affect the emotional life of the man and the woman negatively. In fact, depression and anxiety are highly common in infertile women. These psychotic symptoms may either be the cause of infertility or the consequence of it, or both. Depressive and anxiety disorders existed in high frequency in women who were undergoing a new course of assisted reproduction treatment. Another reason of anxiety may be the ageing making them more anxious and disappointed about having a child. Other factors creating anxiety in women are exposure to high level of hormones, side effects of medication (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome), surgical procedures and heavy costs of treatments. After an unsuccessful IVF-cycle, couples may experience high level of stress. Moreover, disappointment after an IVF-failure is common. Other commonly causes of unsuccessful IVF are sadness and anger, which are more observed in women than in men. Thus, it should be paid attention to this issue because anxiety in these couples may be constant and after pregnancy, these emotional disorders could influence their child.