Levels of anxiety sensitivity, somatosensory amplification and alexithymia in patients with unexplained infertility

Abstract

Infertility is defined as not establishing pregnancy in the absence of contraception despite regular sexual intercourse for one year.According to the data of the World Health Organization, 8%-10% of couples have infertility problems and this rate is gradually increasing. 1 For most couples, infertility is a psychological trauma; even described by many couples as the most difficult life experience in their lives. 2 Besides the psychological challenges of infertility, the treatment process also affects couples both psychologically, economically and physically. 3 Additionally, the mental state of the couple acts not only on the process of coping with the treatment procedures but on the pregnancy process and the upcoming parenting processes as well. 4,5 However, it is thought that there is a bidirectional relationship between infertility and psychological factors; infertility and treatment processes affect mental health and mental health has effects on infertility. 3 Nevertheless, a literature review reveals that studies have been conducted mostly to investigate the effects of infertility on mental health and the evidence on the opposite direction is lacking. [6][7][8] Many studies have shown that the two most common psychiatric disorders in infertile patients are anxiety disorders and depression. 9,10 Depression and anxiety in such patients are attributed to subjective feelings of stress, future uncertainty, concerns about treatment processes and techniques, and economic difficulties. 9 Importantly, childhood traumatic experiences may be linked to the development of alexithymia and negative outcomes in depressed subjects. 11,12 The concept of "psychogenic infertility" has a long history in the field of infertility. 13,14 The concern that mental stress could put a possible pregnancy at risk is discomforting not only for women trying to