Purpose The purpose of the study is to evaluate existing literature for possible associations between female infertility, infertility-associated diagnoses, and the following areas of disease: psychiatric disorders, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic dysfunction. Methods The design of the study is a literature review. The patients were women included in 26 selected studies due to a diagnosis of infertility or a reproductive disorder associated with infertility. This study has no interventions, and the main outcome measure is the association between female infertility or a related diagnosis and psychiatric disorders, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic dysfunction. Results Female infertility and related reproductive disorders may have ramifications for women beyond reproductive health. An analysis of publications shows that women with infertility had higher rates of psychiatric disorders and endometrial cancer than the general population [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Data is conflicting about whether infertile women are at increased risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer [7,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. A generalized diagnosis of infertility was not clearly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or metabolic dysfunction, but women with infertility related to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) do appear more likely to develop cardioCapsule There is a growing body of literature addressing the impact of female infertility on long-term health. This review evaluates 26 studies, investigating possible correlations between infertility and psychiatric illness, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic dysfunction. Overall, higher rates of psychiatric illness and endometrial cancer were seen in infertile women. It is unclear whether infertility results in increased rates of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and data are conflicting regarding correlations between generalized infertility and cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction. This study summarizes current literature and can guide practitioners in counseling infertile patients.

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Background The aim of this study was to determine whether racial/ethnic differences in psychosocial measures, independent of economic status, exist among a large population of pregnant nulliparas. Methods Between October 2010 and September 2013, nulliparous women at eight U.S. medical centers were followed longitudinally during pregnancy and completed validated instruments to quantify several psychosocial domains: Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, trait subscale of the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Krieger Racism Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the Pregnancy Experience Scale. Scores were stratified and compared by self-reported race, ethnicity, and income. Results Complete data were available for 8,128 of the 10,038 women enrolled in the study. For all measures, race and ethnicity were significantly associated (p < 0.001) with survey scores. Non-Hispanic black (NHB) women were most likely to score in the most unfavorable category for all measures, with the exception of the Pregnancy Experience Scale. The magnitude of these differences did not differ by income status (interaction, p > 0.05) except on the Krieger racism survey and the Edinburgh depression survey, which were exacerbated among NHB women with higher income (interaction, p < 0.001). Conclusion Significant racial/ethnic disparities, independent of income status, exist in psychosocial measures during pregnancy.

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