Psychological impact of infertility on women in Kathmandu, Nepal: a cross-sectional study of depressive symptoms and associated factors

There is a great desire for having children to maintain family lineage, cultural values and to receive future support from their offspring. Infertility is a significant psychosocial problem among married couples. Treating and managing infertility is a complex and challenging task for health workers, because infertility is often associated with social isolation and discrimination. Many studies have provided evidence that depression is highly prevalent among infertile women. It has been reported that depressive symptoms could be the cause or consequence of infertility, yet it remains a neglected area in the health care delivery system. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with depressive symptoms among women experiencing infertility. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among women with infertility. A total of 182 women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The collected data were entered into EpiData 3.1 and exported to IBM SPSS version 20 for analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (binary and multivariable logistic regression) to assess associations between variables. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among women with infertility was found to be 38%. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed several factors significantly associated with depressive symptoms, including ethnicity, husband’s education level, husband’s occupation, presence of chronic disease, history of abortion, type of family, emotional support from the husband, and a rigid treatment regimen/schedule. In the multivariable analysis, the husband’s occupation, presence of chronic disease among respondents, and adequate emotional support from husbands remained significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among women with infertility is nearly 40%, and more than 10% of them had moderate to severe depression, which is quite alarming. The findings of this study could be used by counselors and medical staff working with infertility patients to address the issues and worries that patients bring with them and to find ways of tackling them. There is a necessity for specific psychological interventions for couples struggling with infertility to help them manage potential mental health problems and meet their reproductive goals.