Impact of a Structured Yoga Program on Anxiety in Infertility Patients: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Background: Anxiety has been shown to worsen over time during infertility treatment. The psychological burden of treatment itself can lead to patient drop out. Yoga has been used as a stress reliever in other areas of health care. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess whether a structured yoga intervention can decrease anxiety levels measured by the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in patients with infertility. Study design: A prospective feasibility study was conducted. One hundred eleven participants undergoing infertility treatment at a large infertility practice were recruited and enrolled. All subjects self-selected to participate in the control group or the yoga group and completed the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory at baseline and at a six week follow up. Seventy-nine participants completed both time points. “State” and “trait” anxiety scores were compared between the control and yoga groups. Paired t-tests and multivariate logistics regression were performed for statistical analysis via the SPSS software. Results: Mean state and trait anxiety scores were significantly lower in the yoga group versus the control group (p<0.014 and p<0.001 respectively). Conclusion: Mean state and trait anxiety levels were significantly lower after a structured six week yoga intervention in patients with infertility. These results suggest that yoga may have a beneficial role in reducing anxiety in patients with infertility. Ideally this may translate to decreased drop out and increased ability for patients to be successful.