International Journal of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, burden and predictors of psychological distress among women living with infertility.

Methods:This study comprises of 156 women attending fertility clinics, as case and 155 fertile healthcare workers as control. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to record sociodemographic and other clinical variables, while 28-item General Health Questionnaire was used to assess for psychological distress among the respondents.

Results: The mean ages of infertile women (IW) and the control group were 34.9±6.21 and 33.75±5.65, respectively. Psychological distress was significantly more prevalent among IW (31.4%) compared to the control group (9.7%) (p<0.05). Several psychosocial factors were significantly associated with psychological distress among IW (p<0.05): Marital age, couples living apart, the husband’s occupation, being in a previous marriage, the husband having at least one child with another woman, and a poor understanding of the cause of infertility.

Significant marital stressors (p<0.05) linked to psychological distress: stress in marital and sexual relationships, impaired quality of the spousal relationship, strained relationships with others inside and outside the family, low self-esteem, poor confidence, difficulty controlling emotions, feelings of defectiveness and reduced competence, and changes in social and family networks or interactions. Women experiencing these stressors were also more likely to report abuse or hostility within the last month compared to the control group. Logistic regression analysis identified the following predictors of psychological distress (p<0.05): Married after 30 years, the husband having a child outside home, polygamous marriage, poor knowledge of the cause of infertility, and previous infertility treatment.

Conclusion: Integrating mental health screening and care into the routine management of infertile women in infertility clinics is essential.