Depression Treatment Prior to Infertility Treatment Is Best

Depression among infertile couples undergoing treatment can be reduced the most if the couples receive a psychological intervention prior to treatment, say Iranian researchers.

Ahmad Noorbala and colleagues from Tehran University of Medical Sciences assessed 319 infertile couples for depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Those couples who had at least one partner with a BDI score of 17 or higher were randomly assigned to receive psychological treatment, either before or during infertility treatment.

There were 140 couple with at least one depressed partner. Overall, 48% of women were depressed, while 23.8% of men were depressed.

The psychological interventions given consisted of cognitive-behavioral therapy, supportive psychotherapy and 20-60 mg/day of fluoxetine, if required.

Psychological treatment prior to infertility treatment yielded significantly lower BDI scores than if the therapy was given during infertility treatment (10.7 vs. 18.7).

These findings suggest, say the authors, that psychological treatment prior to infertility treatment will improve the patient's mental health and quality of life.

The study appears in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.