Depression and Sexual Dysfunction in Turkish Men Diagnosed With Infertility

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of infertility on sexual functions and depression levels of Turkish men.MethodsA total of 56 infertile men undergoing in vitro fertilization therapy and 48 fertile men, as the control group, were included in this prospective longitudinal study. The study data were collected using the International Index of Erectile Function 5 and 15 (IIEF-5 and IIEF-15), and the depression status of the interfile and control group participants was evaluated using Beck Depression Inventory. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 13.0) by chi-square and the Student t tests for statistical evaluations.ResultsMild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction was detected in 85.9% of the patients in the infertile group and in all the control group participants according to IIEF-5 form, but this difference was not statistically significant. When the subparameters of erectile dysfunction were evaluated via IIEF-15, the infertile group's scores were observed to be significantly lower than those of the control group's in orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction domains. Based on Beck Depression Inventory, the current depression status of the infertile group was significantly worse than that of the control group.ConclusionIn this study, we determined that among Turkish men, being infertile did not cause significant impairment in erectile functions compared to the control group; however, it negatively affected subparameters of sexual functioning and we also determined that men who had infertility were feeling more depressed than the controls.