Introduction: Anxiety has been considered to exert a negative influence on fecundity. However, it remains unclear whether it is a cause or a consequence and whether it is associated with the treatment outcome. This observational case control study evaluated the levels of state anxiety and various stress biomarkers and assessed their association with in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes.
Materials and methods: We allocated 109 infertile nulliparous women aged 25-45 years in their first IVF/ICSI fresh treatment cycle into two groups according to the final outcome: group A (PTP = pregnancy-test positive, n = 49) and group B (PTN = pregnancy-test negative, n = 60). State anxiety levels were measured with the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire (Marteau and Bekker modification) on the days of oocyte retrieval (OR) and embryo transfer (ET). Serum stress biomarkers (cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline, α-amylase, and prolactin) were measured at the same time points. Blood samples were collected at 9 am.
Results: Most women in both groups showed comparable mild-to-moderate degrees of state anxiety on the days of OR and ET (p = 0.183 and p = 0.760, respectively). The stress biomarker measurements did not differ between the two groups, except for noradrenaline that was higher in group B (p = 0.015) and associated with significant cardiovascular changes.
Discussion: Women in both groups showed comparable levels of state anxiety, which were unlikely to influence the chance of pregnancy. Noradrenaline levels were higher in the non-pregnant group, with significant cardiovascular changes. Other stress biomarkers did not reflect the different treatment outcomes between the groups.
Keywords: Anxiety; In vitro fertilization; Intracytoplasmic sperm injection; State-trait anxiety inventory questionnaire; Stress biomarkers; pregnancy.
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