The impact of spillover and crossover effects of job stressors on pregnancy rates in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments

Purpose: Studies have shown mixed findings regarding the impact of stress on the success of fertility treatments. To the best of our knowledge, stress in the context of the workplace has not been investigated to date in relation to the success of fertility treatments. This research investigates the impact of work-related stress and emotional exhaustion experienced by both partners on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 44 heterosexual couples (N = 88) in which both partners filled out the research questionnaire. The couples were recruited in a hospital IVF unit in the center of Israel.

Results: Women's job-related stress and emotional exhaustion lowered their chances of achieving pregnancy when undergoing IVF treatments. Moreover, when partners' emotional exhaustion was relatively low, the job-related stress of women did not affect pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusion: This is the first study to explore whether job-related stressors of both partners may have an impact on success rates of IVF treatments. We propose some practical implications as to how to eradicate their negative impact on IVF outcomes.