Association between depression symptoms at the early stage of ART treatment and the likelihood of becoming pregnant: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that receiving Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment can affect women's mental health negatively. Using prospective cohort data of women undergoing ART treatment in Japan, we investigated the associations of depression symptoms at the early stage of ART treatment with (1) the likelihood of achieving pregnancy and (2) depression symptoms at the time of reporting pregnancy during the follow-up period.

METHODS

Our analysis included 338 women. Our exposure variable was depressive symptoms at the early stage of ART treatment, assessed with Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self report. We examined the associations with two outcomes: (1) archiving pregnancy and (2) depression symptoms, assessed with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, at the time of reporting pregnancy. We conducted Poisson regression analysis to examine the associations, controlling for potential confounders.

RESULTS

We observed null association between depressive symptoms at the early stage of the treatment and the likelihood of achieving pregnancy. However, women with mild or more severe depressive symptoms were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms at the time of reporting their pregnancy [Incidence Rate Ratio = 3.11 (95% confidence intervals: 1.66-5.84) with the mild symptom group].

CONCLUSION

Null association of depressive symptoms at the early stage of treatment with the likelihood of achieving pregnancy may provide reassurance to women receiving ART treatment, alleviating some of the possible mental distress. However, a greater risk of showing depressive symptoms at the time of reporting pregnancy highlights the importance of early detection and support for women's mental health during the ART treatment.