Assessing fertility-related quality of life and psychological distress among infertile women: A cross-sectional study

Background: Infertility negatively impacts quality of life and psychological well-being, yet their inter-relationship in untreated women remains unclear. Objective: To explore the association between fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) and psychological distress in untreated infertile women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled ۳۵۰ infertile women at Fateme Zahra Center, Babol, Iran (October ۲۰۲۳-June ۲۰۲۴). Participants completed FertiQoL and general health questionnaire-۲۸ (GHQ-۲۸) before treatment initiation. The primary outcome was FertiQoL, measured using the total FertiQoL score. Associations between FertiQoL and psychological, demographic, and infertility-related characteristics were evaluated. Results: The mean age of participants was ۳۵.۷ ± ۷.۲ yr. The mean total FertiQoL score was ۵۳.۴ ± ۳.۹, with the highest score in the emotional domain (۶۳.۸ ± ۱۱.۴) and the lowest in the relational domain (۴۱.۶ ± ۱۲.۴). The mean total GHQ-۲۸ score was ۵۳.۴ ± ۹.۲, and ۲۲.۰% of women exceeded the clinical threshold for psychological distress. Total GHQ-۲۸ score was positively correlated with total FertiQoL score (r = ۰.۲۹۰, p < ۰.۰۰۱). In multivariable analysis, GHQ-۲۸ score was the only significant predictor of FertiQoL (β = ۰.۲۸۷, p < ۰.۰۰۱), explaining ۱۰.۱% of the variance in FertiQoL scores. Conclusion: Psychological distress was significantly associated with FertiQoL among infertile women. Unexpectedly, higher GHQ-۲۸ scores were associated with higher FertiQoL scores. Given the cross-sectional design, the underlying reasons for this finding remain unclear and warrant further investigation in longitudinal and culturally diverse populations.

کلیدواژه ها:

Infertility ، Quality of life ، Adaptation ، Psychological distress ، Resilience ، Mental health. ، ناباروری ، کیفیت زندگی ، سازگاری ، پریشانی روان شناختی ، تاب آوری ، سلامت روان.