Psychological Distress in Women With Uterovaginal Agenesis (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome, MRKH)

BackgroundUterovaginal agenesis (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome; MRKH) is a congenital nonformation of the vagina and the uterus, but with normal ovaries.ObjectiveThe authors investigated the psychological impact of this disorder, about which very little is known.MethodA group of 66 women with MRKH were compared with 31 control-group women on a range of self-rating scales assessing psychological distress and self-esteem.ResultsWomen with MRKH had significantly more pathological scores on some of the scales and subscales, such as phobic anxiety and psychoticism (interpersonal alienation), with a similar trend for subscales measuring depression and anxiety.ConclusionMRKH has a lasting negative impact on affected women's level of psychological distress and self-esteem.