Quality of life and pregnancy outcomes among women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment: A longitudinal cohort study

• Main Authors: Meng-Hsing Wu, Pei-Fang Su, Wei-Ying Chu, New Geok Huey, Chih-Wei Lin, Huang-Tz Ou, Chung-Ying Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664618307885

Background/purpose: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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). Conclusion: 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. Keywords: In vitro fertilization, Quality of life, FertiQoL, Pregnancy