Fertility-related Stress Research Articles

Fertility-related stress in women with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing fragile X genetic testing

Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is associated with significant patient stress, as there are few known causes and no treatments for this ovarian condition. This is the first attempt to analyze if the stress in DOR patients differs significantly from the general patient being evaluated for infertility. Additionally, this study attempts to identify risk factors for fertility stress in this population.

Psychosocial Predictors of Infertility Related Stress: A Review

Objective: The objective of the present study was to review studies describing specifically the impact of certain personality traits, cognitive appraisals, coping strategies and social support on infertility related stress. Furthermore, the aim was to examine the interrelationships among these psychosocial potential predictors in order to develop a predictive psychosocial path-model of infertility related stress. The clinical application of the predictive model of infertility related stress would help the medical staff of fertility centers to identify infertile women who are at greater risk for infertility related stress and for adjustment difficulties and to foster the implementation of preventative and therapeutic interventions. Methods: A systematic search of the psychological and medical electronic databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE and Scopus) was performed. This review considered only quantitative, primary studies that were relevant to the objective of the review. Population of interest was considered to be infertile women undergoing fertility treatment. Independent variables were considered to be psychosocial predictors of infertility related stress. Outcomes (dependent variables) were considered to be anxiety, depression, and negative mood states. The development of the psychosocial path-model of infertility related stress was based on the principles of stress, appraisal and coping theories. Results: Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and finally included in the review. According to the review findings, psychosocial predictors of infertility related stress are: a) personality characteristics, such as neuroticism, pessimism and introversion, b) viewing infertility as a threat or a loss, c) low perceived control over the infertility condition and fertility treatment outcome, d) frequent use of avoidant/escape coping strategies, e) marital dissatisfaction and poor marital communication and f) impoverished social network. Based on the review findings, a predictive path-model of infertility related stress which diagrammatically represents the interrelationships among the independent variables and the interrelationships between the independent and dependent variables was developed. The produced diagrammatical-model shows that: a) the relationship between personality dispositions and fertility related stress is either direct or mediated by appraisal cognitions and coping strategies, b) the relationship between appraisal cognitions and fertility related distress is mediated by coping strategies and c) social support is associated with distress both directly and indirectly either through appraisal cognitions or through coping strategies. Conclusion: Although no single pattern of adjustment to infertility appears common, this review has identified several psychosocial factors that might make particular infertile individuals more vulnerable to stress. It is often a combination of factors which makes stress overwhelming. However, it is important to keep in mind that the risk posed by some factors may by mitigated by the presence of buffers. An insight into such risk and protective factors would facilitate the identification of women at risk of experiencing high infertility related stress and foster the implementation of tailored support, and therapeutic interventions. Keywords: Infertility related stress, predictive path-model, personality, appraisal, coping, social support, Infertility, cognitive appraisals, infertile women, anxiety, depression, neuroticism, pessimism, introversion, stress, Psychological stress, Personality traits, cognitive-phenomenological theory, stressors, pre-IVF counseling, Coping Strategies, Fertility Related Stress, Infertility Related Distress, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, Life Orientation Test, Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility, intracytoplasmatic sperm injection

Stress in special groups

Stress occurs when homeostasis is threatened or perceived to be so. The stress system with its central and peripheral effectors regulate the brain's cognitive, reward and fear systems, wake-sleep centers as well as the growth, reproductive and thyroid hormone axes, and influence the gastrointestinal, cardiorespiratory, metabolic and immune systems. Malfunction of the stress system might impair growth, development, behavior and metabolism, which potentially lead to various acute and chronic disorders. The speech will be focused: a) On linguistics, where stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word and stress manifests itself in the speech stream are highly language dependent. b) Gender is an important biological determinant of vulnerability to psychosocial stress. Research studies focused on the sex differences in stress responses revealed individual differences in stress reactivity in addition to genetic, socio-cultural, hormonal and developmental factors. Women appear more physiologically reactive to social rejection challenges, but men react more to achievement challenges. Women's greater reactivity to rejection stress may contribute to the increased rates of affective disorders in women. Another study specifically indicates that women with the BDNF Val/Met genotype and men with the Val/Val may be particularly vulnerable to social stress mediated by brain stress system activity (Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2009). c) Poor self-concept, impatience, poor consequential thinking, inability to set realistic goals and to prioritize, poor resource management, poor health habits, over-dependence, inflexibility are some of personality-related stressors. d) Stress responses associated with possible implications for psychopathology during childhood, adolescents and older adults. Prenatal stress and maternal exposure to exogenous glucocorticoids can lead to permanent modification of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal function and stress-related behaviour. Childhood stress and trauma have been related to adult psychopathology in different psychiatric disorders. e) Some transitions and dynamics can lead families to excessive stress. There are many stresses in healthy and dysfunctional families. Research revealed that secure-base interactions between parents and adolescents facilitate physiological regulation of stress, especially for adolescents with externalising symptomatology. f) Finally, the effects of stress reactivity may lead to physical symptoms and disorders (e.g. hypertension, appetite and gastrointestinal problems, skeletal muscles increased tension, smooth muscles increased contraction, visceral obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, suppression of immune system). There is also a link between stress and fertility. Women with infertility report equivalent levels of anxiety and depression as women with cancer, HIV status, and heart disease. Men also suffer fertility related stress, though they frequently keep their anxiety to themselves for fear of adding to their partner's burden.