Differences in Fertility-Related Quality of Life and Emotional Status Among Women Undergoing Different IVF Treatment Cycles

Ying Ni,1,2,* Hao Shen,1,2,* Haihui Yao,3,* Enming Zhang,4 Chenye Tong,1 Wen Qian,1 Limin Huang,1 Xian Wu,1 Qing Feng2 1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Xianda College of Economics and Humanities, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Nursing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qing Feng, Department of Nursing, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email 15800870886@139.com Xian Wu, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email elaineyyx@outlook.comObjective: The present study aimed to provide more insight into the possible differences in the fertility-related quality of life (FertiQoL) and emotional status of women undergoing different cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed, and a total of 432 women undergoing IVF treatment were recruited. FertiQoL scale, self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and perceived social support scale (PSSS) were used to analyze fertility-related QoL and emotional status. Data were analyzed comparing women undergoing different cycles of IVF treatments.Results: A significant decrease in FertiQoL scores occurred in women with increased cycles of IVF treatment. Both anxiety and depression scores significantly increased with increased cycles of attempting IVF treatment. There was no significant difference detected in perceived social support among groups.Conclusion: With the increase in the number of IVF treatment cycles, women’s FertiQoL gradually decreased, while the risk of anxiety and depression gradually increased.Keywords: infertility, quality of life, emotional problems, IVF, treatment failure