The Mind/Body Connection

Abstract

An innovative study on 112 patients presenting to an infertility clinic for the first time included such an interview. The Mind/Body Program for Infertility was recently modified into an online program in a randomized controlled study. Seventy-one women experiencing infertility were randomized to either participate in the online program or routine care. The Mind/Body Program for Infertility was founded by the author and first offered in 1987. It was designed to teach relaxation and cognitive strategies to infertile women. The goal of the program was psychological symptom reduction, not pregnancy, and this message was disseminated to all interested patients. The most common treatment for depressive symptoms is medication. However, there is no direct evidence that pharmacological treatment of depressive symptoms in infertile women provides benefit, and there is some preliminary evidence that women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may have lower pregnancy rates from assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment.