Psychological Disorders among Women with Primary Infertility and Fertile Women

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors of psychiatric disorders among infertile in comparison to fertile women. By carrying out a descriptive- analytic study in Hazrat-e-Maryam Reproductive Center, 35 women entered the research. Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) test and structured researcher questionnaires were applied for all patients. For data analysis, SPSS-17 software system, chi-square and T-test were used. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results showed that 58% of infertile and 11.2% of fertile women had psychiatric disorders. Using SCL-90-R test, the highest mean scores among infertile women were found for somatization, psychoticism, interpersonal sensitivity and depression scales and the lowest scores were related to phobic anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders scales. Somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, aggression, paranoid ideation and psychoticism scales were significantly different between infertile and fertile women (p < 0.05). Housewives were at a statistically significant higher risk for psychiatric disorders as compared to working women. The significantly higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders among infertile women mandates a more serious attention from gynecologists, psychiatrists and psychologists regarding to diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.