Stress levels and life satisfaction in women undergoing infertility treatment: a preliminary report

Introduction
The ability to reproduce is an important part of human life, which is why infertility and its treatment, being a source of stress, can cause serious personal and social problems. There are many different definitions of infertility, but the WHO definition is most commonly cited; it defines infertility as a disease of the reproductive system characterized by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.

Aim of the research
The aim of the study was to determine the level of perceived stress and life satisfaction in a group of women undergoing infertility treatment.

Material and methods
The study was conducted at the 1st Military Clinical Hospital in Lublin. The study involved 110 women treated in the Gynaecology Ward due to infertility. A research tool was prepared for the study, which consisted of three sheets: a self-designed questionnaire, SWLS questionnaire and the PSS-10 questionnaire.

Results and conclusions:
The study revealed that women undergoing infertility treatment exhibited average levels of both perceived stress (mean score 21.49) and life satisfaction (mean score 19.52). A significant negative correlation was observed between stress and life satisfaction (p = 0.010), indicating that higher stress is associated with lower satisfaction. Significant predictors of higher stress were the patient’s age (p = 0.042), the duration of treatment (p = 0.017), and changes in partner relationships (p = 0.011). Conversely, the only factor with a significant positive association with higher life satisfaction was having children (p = 0.002).