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Simbar M, Ghasemi V, Taherian R, Kalhor M, Mohammadian F, Kiani Z. Prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1805. [PMID: 38971742 PMCID: PMC11227185 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19299-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infertility in men causes problems in various aspects of their lives, including personal, family and social life. One of the most important of these problems is anxiety. Anxiety in infertile men can affect their health, quality of life, and response to treatment, highlighting the significance of anxiety in these men. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men. METHODS To conduct this review study, two researchers independently searched international databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of sciences, Scopus, PsyINFO, and the Google scholar search engine in English without considering any time limit until January 2, 2024. Keywords such as "anxiety," "infertility," "prevalence," and "epidemiology" were used, taking into account the specific search method of each database. Using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), the quality of the articles was evaluated by two researchers independently. RESULTS In the systematic part of the study, 27 studies were included, and given the variety of measurement tools (8 different tools) used to investigate anxiety symptoms in infertile men, 24 studies were analyzed in five subgroups of tools. The pooled prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men was 21.37% (95% CI: 15.73-27.02). The lowest and highest prevalence of anxiety in infertile men were related to the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), accounting for 7.08% (95% CI: 3.27-10.90) and 34.90% (95%CI: 28.90-40.90) values respectively. This prevalence was 19.80% (95%CI: 9.01-30.59) for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 30.06% (95%CI: 18.59-41.52) for the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and 18.52% (95%CI: 7.76-29.29) for the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). CONCLUSION The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men requires special attention to healthcare planning. The healthcare system of different countries should evaluate the symptoms of anxiety in infertile men and take appropriate measures to reduce them according to the culture of the countries. It is recommended that all infertile couples be assessed for anxiety symptoms using a standardized tool during their initial evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Simbar
- Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vida Ghasemi
- Department of Public Health, Asadabad School of Medical Sciences, Asadabad, Iran
| | - Reza Taherian
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehri Kalhor
- Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateme Mohammadian
- Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Kiani
- Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Nam CS, Campbell KJ, Acquati C, Bole R, Adler A, Collins DJ, Collins E, Samplaski M, Anderson-Bialis J, Andino JJ, Asafu-Adjei D, Gaskins AJ, Bortoletto P, Vij SC, Orwig KE, Lundy SD. Deafening Silence of Male Infertility. Urology 2023; 182:111-124. [PMID: 37778476 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2023.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Think about 6 loved ones of reproductive age in your life. Now imagine that 1 of these 6 individuals is suffering from infertility. Perhaps they feel alone and isolated, unable to discuss their heartbreak with their closest friends, family, and support network. Suffering in silence. In this editorial, we discuss the infertility journey through the lens of the patients, the providers, and the scientists who struggle with infertility each and every day. Our goal is to open a dialogue surrounding infertility, with an emphasis on dismantling the longstanding societal barriers to acknowledging male infertility as a disease. Through education, communication, compassion, and advocacy, together we can all begin to break the deafening silence of male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine S Nam
- Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | | | - Chiara Acquati
- Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX; Department of Clinical Sciences, Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, TX; Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Raevti Bole
- Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Ava Adler
- Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - David J Collins
- Department of Urology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Erica Collins
- Department of Urology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Mary Samplaski
- Department of Urology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | | | - Juan J Andino
- Department of Urology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Denise Asafu-Adjei
- Department of Urology, Department of Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Pietro Bortoletto
- Boston IVF, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Sarah C Vij
- Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Kyle E Orwig
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Scott D Lundy
- Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.
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Kiani Z, Fakari FR, Hakimzadeh A, Hajian S, Fakari FR, Nasiri M. Prevalence of depression in infertile men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1972. [PMID: 37821902 PMCID: PMC10568846 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16865-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generally, infertile men hide their depression, which can threaten their health and lower their quality of life. Given the role of depression and its impact on people's health, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression in infertile men. METHODS This research is a systematic review and meta-analysis based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Using the keywords of "Depression", "Emotional Depression", "Infertility", "Prevalence", and "Epidemiology", all English language articles were searched in international databases (PubMed, Cochran library, Web of sciences, Scopus, Embase, PsyINFO, and Google scholar) by two reviewers independently and without considering the time limit until September 2022. Title, abstract, full text and quality of each study were evaluated by two reviewers independently using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale checklist. The results were analyzed using programming language and R software, and I2 test and Egger's Test were used to check heterogeneity and publication bias, respectively. RESULTS Twenty-two studies were included in the systematic part of this study; and 8 different measurement tools were used to identify depression. Then, based on the possibility of meta-analysis, 18 studies were included in 4 subgroups. Given the heterogeneity of the articles, random effect model was used. The overall prevalence of depression in infertile men was 18.30%. The lowest and highest overall prevalence of depression in men was reported to be 14.04% and 23.63% in the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZDS) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) tools, respectively. The overall prevalence of depression among infertile men was reported to be 18.55% and 16.75% using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) tools, respectively. CONCLUSION Based on the findings of this study, the significant prevalence of depression in infertile men requires a specific attention and planning. The study revealed varying degrees of depression among infertile men, emphasizing the importance of assessing their mental health, specifically in terms of depression, during infertility treatments as a hidden variable. It is strongly recommended to develop training programs for health service providers to effectively utilize diagnostic tools in this particular field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Kiani
- Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, ShahidBeheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fahimeh Rashidi Fakari
- Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atena Hakimzadeh
- Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepideh Hajian
- Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Rashidi Fakari
- Department of Midwifery, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Malihe Nasiri
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Almutawa YM, AlGhareeb M, Daraj LR, Karaidi N, Jahrami H. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Psychiatric Morbidities and Quality of Life Differences Between Men and Women in Infertile Couples. Cureus 2023; 15:e37327. [PMID: 37181965 PMCID: PMC10168134 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.37327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Infertility is often associated with diverse psychiatric morbidities and quality of life impairments. Hence, this meta-analysis aimed to compare stress, depression, anxiety and quality of life (QoL) among infertile men and women. We retrieved the relevant articles from multiple databases. For the statistical analyses, we used Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software v. 3.7 (Biostat Inc., Englewood, NJ). Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and displayed in forest plots. Among the 4123 articles identified, 35 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our results revealed that stress, depression, and anxiety were higher in infertile women compared to men. Similarly, infertile women presented a lower QoL than infertile men. Subgroup analysis revealed that the assessment tool used, study design, and geographical origin were a source of heterogeneity. This meta-analysis showed that psychological disturbances were higher in infertile women compared to men. Physicians need to consider this difference to enable couples to better understand and support each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaser Mansoor Almutawa
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, BHR
| | - Muneera AlGhareeb
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, BHR
| | - Lateefa Rashed Daraj
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, BHR
| | - Noor Karaidi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, BHR
| | - Haitham Jahrami
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, BHR
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Hospital, Ministry of Health, Manama, BHR
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Dong M, Tao Y, Wu S, Li Z, Wang X, Tan J. Sexual and psychological health of couples with azoospermia in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12162. [PMID: 34721957 PMCID: PMC8541304 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To date, there have been no reports on the sexual and psychological health of patients with azoospermia during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Previous studies on the sexual health of couples with azoospermia are limited and are especially lacking in data on the wives of azoospermic men. Methods We conducted a case–control cross-sectional study between 1 July 2020 and 20 December 2020. In total, 100 couples with azoospermia comprised the experimental group and 100 couples with normozoospermia comprised the control group. The couples’ sexual health was measured using standardised sexual function questionnaires (male: International Index of Erectile Function-15 [IIEF-15] and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool [PEDT]; female: Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]) and a self-designed questionnaire to evaluate changes in sexual behaviours (sexual satisfaction, desire, frequency of sexual activity, masturbation, and pornography use) during lockdown. The couples’ psychological health was measured using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used to analyse the associations between sexual health and psychological health. Results The IIEF-15 scores (53.07 ± 11.11 vs. 57.52 ± 8.57, t = − 3.17, p = 0.00) were lower and the PEDT scores (6.58 ± 3.13 vs. 5.17 ± 2.22, t = 3.67, p = 0.00) and incidence of premature ejaculation (χ2 = 14.73, p = 0.00) were higher for men with azoospermia than for men with normozoospermia. Compared with those of wives of men with normozoospermia, the total FSFI scores (25.12 ± 5.56 vs. 26.75 ± 4.82, t = − 2.22, p = 0.03) of wives of men with azoospermia were lower. The chi-square test showed that the perceived changes in sexual satisfaction (χ2 = 7.22, p = 0.03), frequency of masturbation (χ2 = 21.96, p = 0.00), and pornography use (χ2 = 10.90, p = 0.01) were significantly different between the female groups with azoospermia and normozoospermia, but there were no significant changes in sexual behaviour between the male groups. The GAD-7 (men: 7.18 ± 5.56 vs. 5.68 ± 4.58, p = 0.04; women: 6.65 ± 5.06 vs. 5.10 ± 3.29, p = 0.01) and PHQ-9 scores (men: 10.21 ± 6.37 vs. 7.49 ± 6.10, p = 0.00; women: 8.81 ± 6.50 vs. 6.98 ± 4.43, p = 0.02) were significantly higher for couples with azoospermia than for couples with normozoospermia. The APIM showed that for couples with azoospermia, sexual function negatively correlated with their own anxiety (men: β = −0.22, p = 0.00; women: β = −0.38, p = 0.00) and depression symptoms (men: β = −0.21, p = 0.00; women: β = −0.57, p = 0.00) but not with their partner’s anxiety and depression symptoms (p > 0.05). Conclusions Couples with azoospermia had a lower quality of sexual function and higher levels of psychological distress than couples with normozoospermia. Their sexual health negatively correlated with psychological distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Dong
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shengyang, Liaoning, China.,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Diseases and Fertility Remodeling of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, China.,School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yanqiang Tao
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Wu
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shengyang, Liaoning, China.,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Diseases and Fertility Remodeling of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhengtao Li
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shengyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Xiaobin Wang
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shengyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Jichun Tan
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shengyang, Liaoning, China.,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Diseases and Fertility Remodeling of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, China
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