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Fertility and Sterility, 59(3), 685-689, 1993

Psychosocial stress as a cause of infertility

M R Soules

Author affiliations
  • University of Washington ROR
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Abstract

An adaptive model for the evolution of reproductive failure predicted psychosocial stress to increase as anatomic causes of infertility decrease. The nonanatomic infertility group in our study reported greater psychosocial stress than intermediate (P < 0.008) or anatomic groups (P < 0.0005). Controls, women with nonanatomic etiologies who were not attempting pregnancy, also reported higher psychosocial stress than the anatomic group (P < 0.007). Results are consistent with the hypothesis that psychosocial distress contributes significantly to the etiology of some forms of infertility.

Topics

Infertility > Unexplained Infertility > Psychosocial FactorsInfertility > Etiology > Stress and ReproductionResearch Methodology > Case-Control Study > Infertility Risk Factors
psychosocial stress cause of infertility adaptive model, nonanatomic infertility psychological distress etiology, stress and unexplained infertility case control study, Wasser Soules psychosocial stress reproductive failure, emotional stress impact on fertility evolutionary model, anatomic versus nonanatomic infertility psychological factors, stress induced reproductive suppression humans, psychological well-being fertility outcomes women, unexplained infertility psychosocial contributors, adaptive reproductive failure hypothesis stress infertility

Cite this article

Wasser, S. K., Sewall, G., & Soules, M. R. (1993). Psychosocial stress as a cause of infertility. *Fertility and sterility*, *59*(3), 685-689.

Keywords

Adult, Female, Humans, Infertility, Female/etiology, Regression Analysis, Stress, Psychological/complications

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