The role of social support for hormonal regulation for couples treated due to infertility

Introduction.From a medical point of view, hormonal balance is the most important factor in treating infertility.On the other hand, psychologists argue that the most effective way to correct hormonal imbalances is to focus on psychological stress.Therefore, this article draws attention to the potential effects of stress-reducing supportive social interactions on progesterone levels in women undergoing infertility treatment.Materials and Method.Fifty-one heterosexual couples were randomly assigned to participate either in a group support session (experimental group) or to watch a non-emotional film (control group).Progesterone concentration was determined by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in saliva samples collected before and after the experiment.Information on the history of infertility treatment was also collected and evaluated.Results.The study shows a change (increase) in salivary progesterone concentration in the vast majority of women who participated in supportive social interactions, compared to the control group, where progesterone levels remained unchanged or decreased.Conclusions There is a clear link between supportive social interaction and progesterone secretion.This may explain the positive health effects of social interactions in infertility couples treatment.The research results open a discussion on the part of social support in hormone regulation and indicate the need for further and in-depth analysis of this phenomenon.