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Objective: We assessed the quality of life (QoL) and pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment among infertile women with endometriosis, as compared to infertile women without endometriosis.Study Design: Eighty-one (81) endometriosis women (with 142 embryo transfer [ET] cycles) and 605 non-endometriosis women (with 1063 ET cycles) were included. QoL was measured by FertiQoL at the date before ET. Pregnancy outcomes included biochemical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live birth. Generalized estimating equation analyses were performed to assess the association between QoL and IVF pregnancy.Results: Endometriosis-affected women had significantly lower QoL, as indicated by mind/body, treatment environment and total treatment scores, and total scores of FertiQoL (p < .05), compared to those without endometriosis. Among non-endometriosis women, QoL scores were significantly associated with successful IVF pregnancy; with one unit increase in QoL scores as measured by emotional domain of FertiQoL, the probabilities of ongoing pregnancy and live birth significantly increased by 2.5% and 2.8%, respectively (p < .05). This association was also observed among endometriosis women but it did not reach statistical significance.Conclusions: Lower QoL among women with endometriosis versus non-endometriosis during IVF treatment highlights the importance of developing strategies to improve their QoL, which may enhance following pregnancy rates in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women with threatened preterm labor (TPTL) resting at home face several life challenges, but their psychological well-being has been ignored. This study aimed to explore the status and related factors of the psychological status of women with TPTL resting at home, and to compare the psychological status differences between TPTL and healthy pregnant women.Methods: A cross-sectional, multiple time-point study was conducted to repeatedly assess depression, perceived stress, and distress in 49 TPTL women and 62 healthy pregnant women during pregnancy in Taiwan. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the psychological status differences between these women and the generalized estimating equation was used to identify the factors related to their psychological status.Results: The TPTL women's perceived stress at 24-27 weeks (p=0.047) and 32-35 weeks (p=0.04) and distress at each time point was significantly greater than that of healthy pregnant women (p<0.001). The common distress experienced by TPTL women was the inability to provide self-care and family care, the baby's health and safety, and to request leave from work for bed rest. Positive personalities, gestational age, preterm birth history, follow-up status and employment have been shown to be related to the psychological status of TPTL women.Limitations: The major limitation of this study is the small sample size.Conclusion: This study contributed to a better understanding of the emotional burdens of women with TPTL resting at home. Such findings highlight the need for constructing effective interventions to alleviate the psychological burden of these women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the quality of life (QoL) and pregnancy outcomes among infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to investigate the association between QoL and IVF pregnancy outcomes. This study included 686 women with 1205 embryo transfers (ETs). QoL was measured using the fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) tool before ET. FertiQoL comprises two modules: a Core module (including mind/body, emotional, relational, and social domains) and a Treatment module (covering treatment environment and tolerability domains). The FertiQol total and subscale scores were computed and scored in the range of 0–100 (higher scores indicate better QoL). Multivariate generalized estimating equation analyses were carried out to assess the association between QoL and IVF pregnancy outcomes, with adjustment for time-varying factors across multiple ETs for a given person. The lowest score in the core module was for the emotional domain (62.0), and that in the Treatment module was for the tolerability domain (59.4). QoL scores were significantly and positively associated with pregnancy outcomes (i.e., ongoing pregnancy, live birth); with a one unit increase in the emotional domain score, the probabilities of ongoing pregnancy and live birth significantly increased by 2.4% and 2.6%, respectively (p < 0.05). This study evaluated the prospective association between QoL and IVF pregnancy outcomes among infertile women. The results highlight the importance of developing clinical strategies to improve QoL among infertile women undergoing IVF treatment, which may further improve the pregnancy rates of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to assess predictive ability of heart rate variability (HRV) for pregnancy outcomes with in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Research design and method: A total of 180 women with 261 cycles of IVF and 211 embryo transfers (ETs) were analyzed. HRV was measured at four times during IVF treatment: the first date of menstruation, r-HCG (Ovidrel) administration, and before and after ET. Pregnancy indicators included chemical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy (> 10 weeks), and live birth (pregnancy > 24 weeks). Mixed effect models were applied to identify predictors for IVF pregnancy. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess prediction models for pregnancy. Results: The HRV values increased during IVF treatment and then decreased after ET. The trend of changes in HRV values during IVF treatment was significant among patients with chemical pregnancy (p < 0.01) and those with live birth (p = 0.02). Women without pregnancy had lower HRV compared to those with IVF pregnancy (p < 0.05). With a one unit increase in HRV difference before and after ET, the odds of chemical pregnancy decreased by 18% (odds ratio; OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70–0.97, p < 0.02). With a one year increase in maternal age, the odds decreased by 16% (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.76–0.93, p < 0.01), 25% (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58–0.93, p = 0.02), and 28% (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54–0.91, p = 0.01) for chemical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth, respectively. The AUCs were 0.77 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.84), 0.89 (0.79, 0.98), and 0.91(0.83, 0.99) for the prediction models for chemical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth, respectively. Conclusions: Reduced HRV may be an indicator for low chance of IVF pregnancy. The changes in HRV before and after ET and maternal age might be prognostic predictors of IVF pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]