The effects of an expressive writing intervention on pregnancy rates, alexithymia and psychophysical health during an assisted reproductive treatment

Abstract

Objective: World Health Organization reported that in developed countries one in four couples experience infertility with serious implications for the psychophysical well-being. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Pennebaker’s writing technique on pregnancy rates, alexithymia and psychophysical health during an assisted reproductive treatment (ART).

Method: 91 women admitted for an ART were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental one (n = 46), where women wrote about their thoughts and emotions concerning the infertility experience, and a control group (n = 45) where women did not write. All subjects completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Symptoms Checklist-90-R before and after the writing sessions.

Results: A significant difference in pregnancy rates between the experimental group (n = 13) and the control group (n = 5) was found (χ² = 4.216; p < .04). A significant difference was also found between women who participated in the study (experimental + control= 91) and women who declined to participate, in the direction of more ART successes (n = 18 vs. n = 0) in the group of women who participated (χ² = 10.17; p < .01).

Conclusions: The findings support the usefulness of the writing technique during ART in promoting treatment success.

Keywords:

• Assisted reproductive treatment
• pregnancy rate
• expressive writing intervention
• alexithymia
• infertility

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the study participants for their collaboration and the personnel at the clinics for their cooperation throughout the whole recruitment period.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.