Descripción de niveles de ansiedad, desesperanza y autoestima en un grupo de mujeres chilenas con diagnóstico de infertilidad primaria: un estudio piloto

摘要

Objective: To describe levels of anxiety, hopelessness and self-esteem in women with a diagnosis of primary infertility seeking to initiate in vitro fertilization treatment at a high-complexity private centre. Materials and methods: Case series including Chilean women aged 20 to 45, who came between June and December 2012 to initiate in vitro fertilization treatment at a private referral institution in Concepcion, Chile, specialized in the management of this problem. The women were childless, heterosexual and had a diagnosis of primary infertility. They had their own eggs and agreed to participate in the study after going through the informed consent process. A consecutive non-probabilistic sample was used. The variables analysed included biosocial factors, prior disease history, levels of anxiety, hopelessness and self-esteem, and perceived social support. A univariate statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software package, version 19.0. Results: A sample of 40 women was analysed. Mean age was 35.7 years. All the women had completed technical or university education, they all worked, and their level of income was medium to high. The most frequent history of prior disease was was polycystic ovary (50%). In the women included in the study, anxiety was found in 47.5%, hopelessness in 62.5% and low self-esteem in 55%. There was a perception of low social support in 50% of them. Conclusions: Significant levels of anxiety, hopelessness and low self-esteem were found in women with infertility. It is important to evaluate these conditions in women undergoing infertility treatment, considering that mental health is an important component of sexual and reproductive health.