International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2014): 5.611 Volume 4 Issue 10, October 2015 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY A Survey of Relationship between Duration of Infertility and Depression among Infertile Women in Beni Suef Governorate *Hanan Elzeblawy Hassan 1 , Saida El Sayed Hassan 2 , Mohammed A Baraka 3 1 Lecturer of Maternal & Newborn Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Beni - Suef University, Egypt Corresponding Author E-mail: nona_nano_1712@yahoo.com 2 Lecturer of Psychiatric /Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Beni - Suef University, Egypt 3 Lecturer of Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Abstract: Background : Infertility is a very real event for part of millions of people's lives. There is no doubt that infertility is a stressful experience event and has a high impact on , couples’ psychological status. Infertility creates a major and prolonged crisis. It is a stressful condition by creates heavy psychological trauma for the couples. Depression is one of the psychological disturbances which usually associated with infertility. Duration of infertility increases partner's stress; it is being the most important prognostic factor. All of those going through deserve to be heard and guided to psychological and mental health support on this journey. Therefore, the psychological health aspect of infertility needs to be part of every couple's health plan. Aim : Assess relationship between duration of infertility & mood changes and depressive symptoms’. Method : For this study, data were collected through in-depth interviews for convenience of 399 infertile female who were admitted in inpatient wards and/or attending to outpatient gynecological and infertility clinics at University Hospital, Health Insurance Hospital and General Hospital in Beni - Suef city. Results : The findings of this study indicated that, depressive symptoms were severe in infertile women aged between 25- 40 years; the highest percentage of the sample reported severe depressive symptoms when infertility duration more than three years. Conclusion : Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that, there is a statistically significant association between duration of infertility and depressive symptoms. Keywords: Infertility, Duration, Depression. 1. Introduction The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE 2004) defines infertility as failure to conceive after regular unprotected sexual intercourse for two years in absence of known reproductive pathology. [1] On the other hand, Infertility is strictly defined by McKinney et al., 2009 as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected regular sexual intercourse. The definition is commonly expanded to include partners who conceive, but repeatedly lose a pregnancy “pregnancy wastage” before the fetus is old enough to survive. Briefly, a more workable definition doesn't specify a time limit, but recognize that infertility is involved any involuntary inability to conceive at the time desired. [2] Depression is defined as a state that is characterized by much more than an appropriate feeling of sadness (that is often just a normal emotion that anyone would naturally feel when having to cope with and adjust to life’s difficulties( , despair, loneliness, low self-esteem, & self-reproach. Accompanying signs & symptoms include persistent, debilitating and change how they interact with the world, withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia. [3] In some cases of infertility, couples realize they are infertile only after attempting to become pregnant for some time. A healthy couple, husband and wife, must acknowledge that they may be infertile through their marriage life. In spite infertility care is a specialty field, nurse plays an intensive role with infertile couple as generally practice nurse meets individuals who are seeking help for infertility or who have had infertility treatment in varied setting, such as perioperative & maternity settings. In many cases childbearing after infertility isn't always easy, as the ability to conceive depends not only on normal reproductive function in both partners but also sensitive and emotional interaction between them, so the nurse who works in maternity, obstetric, gynecologic or even psychological settings not only may counsels families needing help with parenting, but also changes in their personal relationship. An increasing number of patients ultimately require assisted reproductive technology (IVF), which is accompanied by economical, physical and financial hardships. [2],[ 4] Infertility is a serious medical concern that affects woman's quality of life and is a problem for 10% to 15% of reproductive age couples (American Society for Reproductive Medicine [ASRM, 2008]). [5] Approximately one to seven couples in the UK has difficulty conceiving. It is further estimated that of 100 couples trying to conceive naturally, 85 will conceive within one year and 95 within two years. [6] From 10% to 20% of U.S. couples cannot have a baby when they desire (ASRM, 2007). Harvard Mental Health Letter reported that, in the developed countries, nearly 5% of all couples experience primary infertility “couples who have been no prior conception after at least one year having sex without usage birth control methods” or secondary infertility “couples who have been able to get pregnant at least once, but now are unable to conceive”. Although the infertility percentage is high, almost ten percent, its cause is ambiguous in many cases. Experts thought that only about half of all childlessness cases had a physical origin and that the rest were unexplained or the result of psychosomatic problems in women. But research Paper ID: SUB158833 1169