Effect of depression and anxiety on sexual functioning in couples trying to conceive with and without an infertility diagnosis

Abstract

Objective

This study examined the effects of anxiety and depression on sexual functioning in couples trying to conceive, and tested the moderating role of infertility diagnosis on this association.

Design

An online questionnaire was completed by 1453 individuals in a heterosexual relationship for more than one year. The final sample had 107 couples who were actively attempting a pregnancy (63 had an infertility diagnosis; 44 were presumably fertile). Data was analyzed with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM).

Main Outcome Measures

Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and male and female sexual functioning were assessed through the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), respectively.

Results

Actor effects were found between depression and sexual functioning in both men (β= −.28, p= .003) and women (β= −.43, p < .001), with no significant partner effects. The moderation analysis showed that the relationship between depression and sexual functioning is stronger in infertile men than in presumably fertile men (β= −.29; p= .002).

Conclusion

Psychological interventions with couples trying to conceive should address the role of depression in sexual functioning, particularly in infertile men.

Keywords:

• Infertility
• sexual functioning
• depression
• anxiety
• dyadic

Authorship

JF, JP and MVM participated in the design of the study. JF and JP performed data collection. JF was responsible for analysis and interpretation of data and drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to critical revisions and approval of manuscript submissions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, JF, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the individual doctoral grant SFRH/BD/103234/2014 attributed to the second author (JP).