Baseline psychological stress and ovarian norepinephrine levels negatively affect the outcome of in vitro fertilisation

Abstract

Objective. We determined the effect of baseline psychological stress and norepinephrine (NE) levels in the follicular fluid on the outcome of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Methods. One hundred seven women with tubal factor infertility were evaluated before and during their first IVF treatment. On the first day of down-regulation, their psychological state was measured using the Zung Self-rating Anxiety (SAS) and Depression Scales (SDS), and defined as baseline psychological stress. On oocyte retrieval day, NE levels in the follicular fluid and peripheral plasma were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results. On the first day of down-regulation, nearly 10% of the women with tubal factor infertility reported that they were experiencing both anxiety and depression. This baseline psychological stress was lower in pregnant (3.7%) than in non-pregnant women (15.7%, p < 0.05). On oocyte retrieval day, the NE levels in follicular fluid were almost twice the amount seen in peripheral plasma, but did not differ in pregnant and non-pregnant women (p > 0.05). NE levels in follicular fluid were negatively associated with the percentage of good quality embryos (r = −0.62, p < 0.05).

Conclusions. Baseline psychological stress (both anxiety and depression) may negatively influence the clinical pregnancy rate of IVF treatment in women with tubal factor infertility. Furthermore, follicular NE levels are negatively associated with the percentage of good quality embryos.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• depression
• neuroendocrine
• IVF
• clinical pregnancy rate

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to many colleagues of the clinical, scientific and nursing staff of the Center for Reproductive Medicine. We thank Fu Jin-Mei and Gong Yan for the collection of the data.