Association of state and trait anxiety to semen quality of in vitro fertilization patients: a controlled study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between semen quality and state/trait anxiety in patients enrolled in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program and in control subjects.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Biology, European Hospital, Rome.

Patient(s): Ninety-four first-attempt IVF patients and 85 age-matched, random subjects recruited in the period July 2006 through March 2008.

Intervention(s): None.

Main outcome measure(s): Behavioral features of stress, including state and trait anxiety, self-perceived impact of physical disturbance on everyday activities, ethanol consumption, cigarette smoking, and semen parameters such as semen volume, sperm concentration, total count, motility, morphology, and DNA fragmentation.

Result(s): Increased levels of both state and trait anxiety were associated with lower semen volume, sperm concentration and count, reduced sperm motility, and increased sperm DNA fragmentation of IVF patients, thus influencing seminal parameters at the macroscopic and cellular/subcellular levels. Similar results were obtained in the controls.

Conclusion(s): Our data confirm previous observations with state anxiety and show that trait anxiety also is negatively associated with male fertility.