Patients
This cross-sectional case-control study included a total of 166 consecutive patients in the age range between 21 and 39 years, who were admitted to the gynaecology outpatient clinic of the Recep Tayyip Erdogan University’s School of Medicine in the period from December 2018 to June 2019. Informed consent was obtained from the participants prior to the study. The study was conducted in compliance with the ethical guidelines including the World Medical Association (1975) Declaration of Helsinki 2008 and the legal requirements of the Ethics Committee of the Recep Tayyip Erdogan University (Approval no: 2018/187).
Sixty individuals; who met the following criteria; including not achieving pregnancy despite regular sexual intercourse for more than 12 months, exclusion of male infertility, the absence of an abortion history, the presence of at least one ovary, the presence of at least one active fallopian tube confirmed through hysterosalpingography or laparoscopy, the absence of pelvic pathology, normal hormone levels on the third to fifth days of the ovulatory cycle, and the presence of adequate follicular reserves, were considered to have ”unexplained infertility”. Fifty patients; who had infertility and whose infertility could be explained by tubal, anovulatory, or male factors, were included in the group of patients with ”infertility due to a known cause”. Fifty-six outpatients; who had at least two healthy pregnancies, who gave birth in the last two years, and who used contraceptive methods, were included in the ”control group”. Patients with a chronic disease and patients with a history of previous or current psychiatric treatment were excluded from the study. Clinical psychiatric examinations were performed by the same psychiatrist; who worked at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan University’s School of Medicine and who was blinded to the infertility status of the participants. Patients; who were diagnosed with a current psychiatric disorder as a result of the interview, were excluded from the study.