Psychiatric Disorders in Women Seeking Fertility Treatments: A Clinical Investigation in India

0:Fertility treatments are scientific achievements that began in 1970s. Almost concurrently, these technologies developed in India as well. Despite various advancements in IUI and IVF, empirical investigations on the psychological endurance and emotional tolerance of women to such treatments are rather scarce. Thus, the aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in women seeking fertility treatments. It is a cross-sectional study with three hundred women participants undergoing various treatments at the Manipal Assisted Reproductive Centre, situated in the Kasturba Medical College, Karnataka, India. Psychiatric disorder were assessed in women using the “ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders (CDDG version)” followed by descriptive data analysis. The results reveal that 78% of women are found to have psychological issues and 45% of them have a diagnosable psychiatric condition. Adjustment Disorders, Major Depressive Disorders and Anxiety Disorders are established as the top three categories of diagnoses. The findings of this study suggest that women have a higher stake holding in infertility treatments. A sizable proportion of them are at the verge of deteriorating mental health. The data highlights the need for modification of the existing treatment protocol (in Indian clinics) in ways that ensure the emotional well-being of patients.
Key words: Cross-sectional study, Distress, Infertility, Psychiatric Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Women.