Factors of negative psycho-emotional states among women undergoing IVF treatment. .

Open access publication In Russian (Abstract and References in English) The article presents the results of a study of clinical and psychological factors of mental and emotional states among women (N=127) with the extracorporal fertilization (IVF) treatment. There are analyzed data from clinical interviews (type of infertility (female, male), cause of infertility, the planning time of pregnancy, number of attempts and the kind of IVF experiences of relationships in the parent family and with husband, self-relationship and health) and socio-demographic indicators (nature of work, type of marriage and number of marriages, the availability and scheduling of children). There are analyzed the relationship of these indicators with personal and situational anxiety. In the group among women with a female infertility a personal and situational anxiety were higher. Personal anxiety is higher among women with negative mental states (apathy, depression, emotional fatigue, high anxiety, and sleep disturbance, obsessive thoughts about pregnancy, fears, panic attacks), than among women with somatic problems (physical fatigue, lack of sexual desire, hormonal imbalance, endocrine disorders, vascular dystonia, cystitis, eye problems, problems with the musculoskeletal system). There is a need in further research to clarify causal relationships between personal characteristics and negative mental states, and other risk factors, such as problems in the relationship. Personal anxiety is higher among women who indicated relationship problems with their husbands. More severe anxiety among women with children (their own, husband’s) can indicate the complexity of personal experiences and the system of motives of pregnancy that requires a differentiated approach in the psychological support to this category of women with the treatment on the IVF program. The obtained data testify that the characteristics and dynamics of the mental states among women in the program of IVF treatment can be associated with the causes of infertility; negative experience of relationships in the parent family, especially the authoritarian and emotionally cold relationship with the mother; the personal qualities among women, the nature of the dominant reproductive motives, which in turn are connected with the peculiarities of the social situation (marriage, children); the time of pregnancy planning, which may be due to the type (female, male) reproductive health problems and the number of IVF attempts. The identification of the relationships and interdependency of these factors, the nature of their impact on the treatment process, the course and outcome of pregnancy in cases of external reproductive technologies need further study in longitudinal and comparative studies on larger samples of respondents. The obtained data allow: to carry out early diagnostics of social and psychological factors that impede the process of infertility treatment methods of assisted reproduction; to carry out psychological prevention of the formation of negative mental states and targeted psychological assistance in medical treatment with the IVF program.