Support during fertility treatment was linked to lower anxiety and depression scores
A review found encouraging symptom results across diverse interventions, but its abstract leaves the comparison conditions and practical size of benefit unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review reports lower anxiety and depression scores after a broad mix of interventions for women undergoing assisted reproduction. This suggests a possible mental health benefit, but the abstract leaves the comparison conditions unclear. The reported outcomes are psychological symptoms, so they do not establish that these programs improve pregnancy or birth outcomes.
The abstract does not identify control conditions, follow-up lengths or the designs of the included studies. Its pooled result covers very different interventions, so it does not establish which individual program helps most.
Many approaches were combined
The included approaches ranged from cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness programs to targeted nursing care, yoga, music therapy, acupuncture, and drugs or supplements. Combining them addresses a broad support question rather than testing a single program.
Timing remains an open question
A subgroup analysis favored interventions delivered before assisted reproduction. However, the abstract gives no timing-specific estimates or details of those comparisons, leaving uncertainty about whether timing itself explains the reported difference.
The original publication
The effects of nursing interventions on anxiety and depression in infertile females undergoing assisted reproduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Xu Q, Wan Z, Xiong Z et al.
BMC Womens Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41444947
- Record checked
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