Prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in an assisted reproductive technique clinic. Human Reproduction

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prevalence of specific depressive and anxiety disorders in women before a new course of assisted reproductive technology treatment. Few studies have adopted the proper psychia-tric diagnostic procedures. METHODS: All consecutive women visiting the assisted reproduction clinic of a univer-sity-affiliated medical centre, with the intention of starting a new assisted reproduction treatment course, were recruited. A psychiatrist made a diagnosis of psychiatric disorders using a structured interview, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). RESULTS: Of a total of 112 participants, 40.2 % had a psychia-tric disorder. The most common diagnosis was generalized anxiety disorder (23.2%), followed by major depressive disorder (17.0%), and dysthymic disorder (9.8%). Participants with a psychiatric morbidity did not differ from those without in terms of age, education, income, or years of infertility. Women with a history of previous assisted reproduction treatment did not differ from those without in depression or anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive and anxiety disorders were highly prevalent among women who visited an assisted reproduction clinic for a new course of the treatment. Demographic features and a history of previous assisted reproduction treatment were not risk factors for these psychiatric morbidities in the assisted reproduction clinic. Key words: assisted reproductive technology/depression/Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)/mental disorder/ Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI