Depression in Men May Impact Pregnancy Chances in Couples Seeking Treatment for Infertility

Among couples being treated for infertility, depression in the male partner was linked to lower pregnancy chances, according to astudy inFertility and Sterility. In contrast, depression in the female partner was not found to influence the rate of pregnancy or live birth.Depression rates are known to be high among couples seeking fertility treatments, with previous research finding 41% of women and nearly 50% of men in such couples show signs of depression, wrote Emily A. Evans-Hoeker, M.D., of Virginia Tech Carilion, and colleagues.To investigate the role of depression on pregnancy outcomes in couples seeking non-IVF treatments, the researchers combined data from two multi-site, randomized, controlled clinical trials, including 1,650 women and 1,608 men. Only couples not undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were included, and only the women in the studies were asked about antidepressant use. In both studies, the men and women took the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression. A PHQ-9 score ≥10 was used to define currently active major depression.Among those studied, 5.96% of the women and 2.28% of the men were rated as having currently active major depression. Couples in which the male partner had major depression were 60% less likely to conceive and have a live birth than those in which the male partner did not have major depression.Additional analysis revealed that antidepressant use in women undergoing non-IVF fertility treatments did not increase...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: antidepressants depression Emily A. Evans-Hoeker Esther Eisenberg infertility pregnancy SSRIs Source Type: research