Feed

In vitro fertilization (IVF) can affect quality of life and psychological well-being in both female and male patients, but stage-specific patterns across different stages of IVF cycle remain incompletely characterized. We examined sex differences and stage-specific variation in fertility-related quality of life (FertiQoL) and psychological distress measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). We analyzed 444 paired FertiQoL and PHQ-4 responses from 320 patients (202 females and 118 males) undergoing IVF at 11 centers in Taiwan. Assessments were available before IVF initiation, ovum pick-up (OPU), embryo transfer (ET), and the pregnancy test. Sex differences were evaluated, and stage-specific associations were estimated with linear mixed-effects models. Males had higher total FertiQoL scores than females (mean 72.78 vs. 69.14, p = 0.008), particularly in the emotional (71.39 vs. 64.08, p < 0.001) and mind/body (mean 77.91 vs. 69.36, p < 0.001) domains. Females had higher anxiety scores (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, GAD-2: mean 1.71 vs. 1.32, p < 0.001) and total PHQ-4 scores (mean 2.66 vs. 2.23, p = 0.006) compared to males. Nominal increases in PHQ-2 and PHQ-4 scores before embryo transfer (ET) and a nominal decrease in Tolerability scores before the pregnancy test were observed; however, these differences did not remain statistically significant after correction. Sex-related differences in selected quality-of-life domains and anxiety were observed during IVF, while stage-specific trends were also suggested. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring mental health and providing targeted psychological support and underscore the need for prospective, stage-standardized studies with linked couple data and more comprehensive clinical characterization.