Male infertility and mental health are under the microscope in new studies.
According to a recent study released in 2018 by the National Institute of Health, depression experienced by male partners was linked to lower pregnancy chances.
In the couples being treated for infertility who agreed to take part in the study, depression experienced by female partners did not influence the rate of live birth.
Studies show male depression could be a factor in male infertility.
According to study author Esther Eisenberg, M.D., of the Fertility and Infertility Branch at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD),“Our study provides infertility patients and their physicians with new information to consider when making treatment decisions.”
The study, funded by NICHD, links a class of antidepressants known as non-SSRIs (non-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) to a higher risk of early pregnancy loss among females in treatment for infertility. SSRIs, on the other hand, were not linked to pregnancy loss.
Neither female depression nor any class of antidepressants were linked to lower pregnancy rates.
NIH researchers combined data from two previous studies which analyzed data from 1,650 women and 1,608 men. Participant data showed 5.96 percent of women experienced active major depression, compared to 2.28 percent of the men.
The study authors noted that 41 percent of women seeking fertility treatments have symptoms of depression, and a study of men seeking in vitro fertilization treatments found that nearly 50 percent experienced depression.
The authors conducted the current study to evaluate the potential influence of depression in couples who chose not to pursue in vitro fertilization.
Women using non-SSRIs were almost 3.5 times as likely to have a first trimester pregnancy loss compared to those who did not use antidepressants. Couples in which the male partner had major depression were 60 percent less likely to conceive and have a live birth than the males that did not experience major depression.
About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NICHD conducts and supports research in the United States and throughout the world on fetal, infant and child development; maternal, child and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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