Psychiatric and Social Impacts of IVF

Infertility and its treatment represent a global health area of increasing importance. Individuals experiencing infertility represent around 8-10% of couples worldwide. The demand for assisted reproduction techniques such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) has increased in developed countries over the past decades, and is predicted to increase further in those to come . This could be further boosted by numbers in resource-limited settings of the developing world, where an estimated 180 million couples are experiencing infertility. The efficacy of IVF among the assisted fertility options has led an increasing number of individuals to seek this specific treatment. More than a half million babies are now born each year from IVF, as a result of over two million estimated annual treatment cycles . Yet it is also a relatively invasive and disruptive process that can be both physically and psychologically demanding . Infertility itself has been associated with a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, lower quality of life, and lower self-esteem . The IVF process-which includes injectable medication and multiple blood tests, clinic appointments and procedures, waiting periods and anticipation of outcomes at each phase-may lead to further psychological stress. This can be exacerbated by disturbances to an individual's work and routine and the financial pressure of this costly treatment , and may be worse after multiple failed cycles .