title: Infertility-related stress in men and women predicts treatment outcome 1 year later.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the separate and joint effects of male and female fertility problem (FP) stress and the source of stress (e.g., personal, social, marital) on treatment outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, epidemiological cohort design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility clinics in Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight hundred eighteen couples who were about to begin a new course of treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  An FP stress inventory was administered at the start of treatment, and the treatment outcome was evaluated 12 months later.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of treatment cycles in 12-month study period and treatment outcome (i.e., success, no success).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fertility problem stress was associated with a poorer treatment outcome in women (pooled within-groups [WGr] correlation,WGr = .517) and men (WGr = .392) with the effect significantly more pronounced for women (z = 3.19, P<.001). Fertility problem stress arising in the personal and marital domain showed greater associations with treatment outcome than did FP stress from the social domain. Logistic regression indicated that women who reported more marital distress required more treatment cycles to conceive (median 3) than women reporting less marital distress (median 2) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20: Model chi2(3) = 77.21, P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings provide evidence that infertility-related stress has direct and indirect effects on treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. boivin@cardiff.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jacky
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.forename: Lone
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome