Relationship Between Sleep Disorder and the Outcome of Infertility Treatment with Intrauterine Insemination

Background and Objective: Infertility is one of the most stressful events in people's lives. Stress can affect a person's sleep by affecting the hypothalamus and pituitary axis, leading to sleep disorders. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between sleep disorders and the outcome of infertility treatment with intrauterine insemination (IUI). Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 131 infertile women aged 18 to 45 referring to infertility clinics in Bojnurd City, Iran. Data collection was conducted using questionnaires that assessed demographic characteristics and sleep disorders, specifically the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Information was gathered at three separate time points: 0, 14, and 30 days, relative to the time of IUI. In addition, statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The average age of the women in the study was 29.85 years, with a standard deviation of 5.75. The most common causes of infertility were ovulation disorders, accounting for 37.3%, and primary infertility, which represented 72.9% of cases. Changes in sleep quality scores (within-group effect) were significant in both the positive and negative IUI result groups, with p-values of 0.042 and 0.001, respectively. However, when comparing the effects between the two groups, there was no significant difference in sleep quality scores at any time point. Conclusion: In general, there was no significant difference in the sleep quality score.