Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a…
Is there a psychologist or counsellor attached to this clinic who works specifically with fertility patients, and would CBT be a reasonable addition while I'm in treatment?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: The pregnancy-rate result is the weak half of this paper: the pooled studies were heterogeneous, not all randomised, and the finding directly contradicts the larger and better-controlled Boivin 2011 BMJ meta-analysis showing distress does not affect cycle outcome. Read this study as evidence that psychological support reduces distress, not as evidence that it makes you pregnant.
Across 39 studies of 2,746 men and women in fertility treatment, psychosocial interventions produced a moderate-to-large reduction in combined psychological distress (Hedges' g=0.59, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.80), with CBT the strongest single type (g=0.84). Effects were larger for women than men. The same analysis reported a doubling of clinical pregnancy rates (risk ratio 2.01, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.73), a claim that sits uneasily beside Boivin's null finding and should be treated as unproven.
Worth asking
Is there a psychologist or counsellor attached to this clinic who works specifically with fertility patients, and would CBT be a reasonable addition while I'm in treatment?
What to watch for
Evidence quality tells you whether to trust the finding — not whether the treatment is safe. These are the risks this research reports.
- Fertility & pregnancy risk
Source
Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Frederiksen Y, Farver-Vestergaard I, Skovgård NG, Ingerslev HJ, Zachariae R. (2015)
Indexed peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Indexed peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 2,746
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 74 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: The pregnancy-rate result is the weak half of this paper: the pooled studies were heterogeneous, not all randomised, and the finding directly contradicts the larger and better-controlled Boivin 2011 BMJ meta-analysis showing distress does not affect cycle outcome. Read this study as evidence that psychological support reduces distress, not as evidence that it makes you pregnant. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Frederiksen Y, Farver-Vestergaard I, Skovgård NG, Ingerslev HJ, Zachariae R. (2015). Published in: Indexed peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of observational studies. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.