ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
This article is part of the Research TopicPerinatal mental health: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and FearView all 29 articles
"Psychological Distress in Women with Primary and Secondary Infertility: A Comparative Analysis of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress"
Provisionally accepted
- 1Banaras Hindu University Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, India
- 2Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, India
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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) are reproductive disorders frequently linked to psychological distress. This study compared the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress levels between women with PCOS and RPL and assessed their 2 | P a g e association with years of marriage. A cross-sectional study conducted a random sampling method on 157 women (PCOS: 70; RPL: 87) attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology OPD at IMS BHU, Varanasi. Psychological status was assessed using the DASS-21 scale, a reliable tool widely used in reproductive health research. Chi-square test and independent sample t-tests were used for statistical analysis. Mean scores were significantly higher in RPL than in PCOS: depression (10.7 ± 3.5 vs. 8.8 ± 4.3, p = 0.003), anxiety (13.3 ± 3.8 vs. 10.7 ± 5.5, p = 0.001), and stress (12.3 ± 4.4 vs. 10.3 ± 6.1, p = 0.007). Marriage duration was significantly longer among women with severe depression (RPL: 8.4 ± 5.2 yrs; PCOS: 6.3 ± 3.1 yrs), anxiety (RPL: 8.6 ± 5.1 yrs; PCOS: 7.1 ± 3.3 yrs), and stress (RPL: 9.0 ± 5.2 yrs; PCOS: 6.3 ± 3.1 yrs), all p < 0.05. Age was higher in RPL patients (p = 0.024); LH was higher in PCOS (p = 0.000). No significant differences were observed in AMH or BMI. Psychological symptoms were more severe among women with RPL, and a longer duration of marriage was associated with greater symptom severity. Marriage duration was significantly higher in women classified with severe depression, anxiety, and stress based on DASS-21 scores, indicating a correlational rather than causal relationship. Routine psychological assessment is recommended for women with PCOS and RPL.
Keywords: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), Infertility, psychological distress, Mental Health, Women's Health
Received: 11 Sep 2025; Accepted: 11 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chaurasiya, Singh, Bahadur, Singh, Maurya and Rai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sangeeta Rai, sangeeta.rai1@bhu.ac.in
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