Psychiatric Disorders among Infertile and Fertile Women

This study was performed in order to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors of psychiatric disorders among infertile and fertile women attending Vali-e-Asr Hospital. A total of 150 fertile women from Vali-e-Asr Reproduction Health Research Center and fertile women from the Gynecology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital were chosen by simple randomization. Data was entered into SCL-90-R and structured researcher questionnaires. Results showed that 44% of infertile and 28.7% of fertile women had psychiatric disorders. Using SCL-90-R test, highest mean scores among infertile women were found in respect to paranoid ideation, depression and interpersonal sensitivity scales and lowest scores were found in respect to psychoticism and phobic anxiety scales. Interpersonal sensitivity, depression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideas and psychoticism scales were significantly different between infertile and fertile women (p<0.05). This relationship was statistically significant (p<0.001). Housewives are at higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders as compared to working women. This finding was also statistically significant (p<0.001). Considering the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among infertile women, it seems that more serious attention is required from gynecologists, psychiatrists and psychologists for better treatment of these disorders. The use of psychotherapy, especially supportive methods, should be considered as part of the general therapeutic framework of infertility.