Usefulness of mindfulness for the management of anxiety, stress, and quality of life in infertile women. A clinical exploratory study.

Abstract

Background: Infertility increases stress and affects life quality. Mindfulness reduces stress and improves life quality, but its role in infertility remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of mindfulness on stress and quality of life of women with infertility.

Material and methods: An exploratory clinical study was conducted in women under infertility treatment, together with an 8-week mindfulness intervention (MND) or only infertility treatment (CTRL). Anxiety and quality of life were assessed at baseline and at the end of intervention with IDARE and FertiQoL questionnaires respectively, as well as salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol concentrations. Non-parametric statistics was used for analysis using an alpha value of 0.10.

Results: 14 MND and 15 CTRL completed follow-up. At baseline, CTRL patients exhibited better quality of life than MND; anxiety scores correlated negatively with quality of life. At the end of intervention, cortisol concentrations (p = 0.097), and the increments of amylase (p = 0.039), were higher in CTRL than in MND. Increases in quality of life were associated with basal anxiety score (p = 0.002), improvements in tolerability (p < 0.001), and mindfulness intervention (p = 0.014).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that mindfulness reduces stress and improves quality of life in women under infertility treatment.