ABSTRACT
OVERVIEW e impact of patient stress on the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a complex and multifaceted interplay between the mind and the body. e old model of psychogenic causation (e.g., the Freudian approach that speaks of the woman’s fear of impregnation or motherhood) has long been supplanted by the careful exploration of the interplay of stress with the endocrine system. Considerations of dispositional characterological factors such as optimism (1) or happiness (2) have also led to the hypothesis that such factors may play a role in treatment outcome.
