Psychological Characteristics of Recipients Pretransplantation in the Dallas UtErus Transplant Study (DUETS)

Abstract

Introduction Uterus transplantation is now a viable option for fertility treatment for women with absolute uterine factor infertility. Psychological assessment is recommended as a part of the perioperative evaluation process. Research Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological characteristics and mental health history of the 20 women who participated in the Dallas UtErus Transplant Study (DUETS) trial. Design This retrospective observational descriptive study was part of a prospective clinical trial. Prior to transplant, 20 women completed a clinical psychological interview, 19 of whom also completed psychological assessment measures including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 item, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 item, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, 36-Item Short Form, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 item, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results Women who participated in the trial had high health-related quality of life and minimal psychological history, with most reporting psychological distress associated with their initial infertility diagnosis (N = 13). None of the participants endorsed psychological distress to meet clinical concerns on the psychological measures used. Satisfaction with relationship adjustment with their partners was also high. Conclusions Women with absolute uterine factor infertility who underwent uterus transplant demonstrated low psychological distress on assessment measures, were resilient, had high health related quality of life, and strong satisfaction with the quality of relationships with their partners. Although some women reported either current or past psychological diagnosis, most reported psychological distress that occurred at the time of the infertility diagnosis and appeared to resolve over time.