ArticleScientific reports2022
Investigating the association between infertility and psychological distress using Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Anxiety symptoms following conception through assisted reproductive technology: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Influencing factors of fertility concerns in cancer patients of childbearing age: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Pooled it
- The efficacy of psychological interventions for infertile women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC women's health · 2025Pooled it
- The social determinants of mental health disorders among women with infertility: a systematic review.BMC women's health · 2023Pooled it
- Mitochondrial replacement techniques for treating infertility.Journal of medical ethics · 2026Article
- Psychological impact of infertility on women in Kathmandu, Nepal: a cross-sectional study of depressive symptoms and associated factors.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Spiritual counselling and women's well-being in orthodox christianity: embryo adoption as surrogate motherhood.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Self-esteem in crisis: Psychosocial adaptation and masculine identity among Chinese men with azoospermia.PloS one · 2026Article
- The relationship between physical activity and subjective wellbeing in infertile women: the mediating role of positive feedback and self-efficacy.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Improving access to fertility treatment in Asia Pacific: consensus from an expert forum.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- A Study of Potential Classes and Trajectories of Psychological Distress in Infertility Patients: A Study Protocol.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Celastrol modulates IRS1 expression to alleviate ovarian aging and to enhance follicular development.Cell biology and toxicology · 2025Article
- The adaptation of the infertility distress scale into Chinese: cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Psychosocial Intervention on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life Among Women with Infertility.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2025Article
- The Role of Pharmacists in Minimizing the Risk Inherent in Unbundled Telehealth Services: A 12-Month Retrospective Case Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Association of a history of depression with infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth: a longitudinal cohort study.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2024Article
- Impact of primary care posttraumatic stress disorder (PC-PTSD) on fertility problem of Iranian women with infertility during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- miR-29a Is Downregulated in Progenies Derived from Chronically Stressed Males.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Infertility affects millions of people globally. Although an estimated 1 in 6 couples in Australia are unable to conceive without medical intervention, little is known about the mental health impacts of infertility. This study investigated how infertility impacts the mental health of women. The study used nationally representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) data. We analysed data from survey periods 2-8 conducted every three years between 2000 and 2018 for 6582 women born in 1973-78. We used a Generalised Equation Modelling (GEE) method to investigate the association of primary, secondary and resolved fertility status and psychological distress over time. Multiple measures were used to measure psychological distress: the (1) the mental health index subscale of the 36-item short form survey (SF-36), (2) the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10), (3) the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADanx) anxiety subscale; and a (4) composite psychological distress variable. About a third (30%) of women reported infertility at any of the survey rounds; a steady increase over 18 years from 1.7% at round 2 to 19.3% at round 8. Half of the women reporting primary or secondary infertility reported psychological distress, with the odds of having psychological distress was higher in women reporting primary (odds ratio (OR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.45), secondary (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10-1.46) or resolved infertility (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.26) compared to women reporting normal fertility status. Women with partners, underweight or higher BMI, smoking, and high-risk alcohol use had higher odds of psychological distress, whereas women in paid work had significantly lower odds of psychological distress (p < 0.001). Diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and other chronic physical illness were independently associated with higher odds of psychological distress. Infertility has a significant impact on mental health even after it is resolved. Frequent mental health assessment and a holistic approach to address the lifestyle factors should be undertaken during the treatment of infertility.
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