Therapy Better Than Prozac in Infertile Women

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a reliable alternative to antidepressants for infertile women and performed better than Prozac (fluoxetine), according to a new Iranian study.

Mahbobeh Faramarzi and colleagues at Babol University of Medical Sciences randomly assigned 89 infertile women with mild to moderate depression to either 10 sessions of CBT, antidepressant therapy with 20 mg of Prozac for 90 days or a control group which received no treatment.

Subjects were given the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess their level of depression at the beginning and end of the study.

Resolution of depression occurred in 79.3% of patients given CBT, compared to 50% with Prozac and 10% in the control group.

Both treatments reduced BDI scores, but CBT reduced scores significantly more.

The study appears in the Journal of Affective Disorders.