--- title: Does phone support reduce stress during IVF waiting? | Niyora description: No, the stress scale showed no difference, but women perceived the support as helpful and wanted more. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/does-emotional-support-during-the-luteal-phase-decrease-the-stress-of-in-vitro-2011/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does phone support reduce stress during IVF waiting? Randomised trial, 2011 # Does phone support reduce stress during IVF waiting? No, the stress scale showed no difference, but women perceived the support as helpful and wanted more. Strong study design 131 women undergoing first IVF cycle with own eggs ## What they did 131 women undergoing their first IVF cycle were randomly assigned to receive phone calls from social workers (66 women) or standard care (65 women) between embryo transfer and pregnancy testing. Stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale on transfer day and 10 days later. ## What they found There was no difference in final stress scores or change in stress between groups. However, 65.9 percent of the intervention group said the study was helpful compared to 21.4 percent of controls. 95.4 percent of the intervention group would recommend support during IVF compared to 78.6 percent of controls. ## What it means for you While phone support did not reduce measurable stress in this study, women felt it was valuable and wanted it. This suggests current stress scales may not capture all benefits, or that support has value beyond stress reduction. Study was well-designed with good sample size. 131 women 65.9% vs 21.4% found study helpful 95.4% vs 78.6% would recommend support ## About the study Original title Does emotional support during the luteal phase decrease the stress of in vitro fertilization? Authors Skiadas CC, Terry K, De Pari M et al. Journal Fertility and sterility Year 2011 Study design Randomised trial Participants 131 What was tested Phone calls from social workers between embryo transfer and pregnancy test Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.09.028](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.09.028) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Review, 2023 What treatments help mental and physical health problems linked to the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Survey study, 2024 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect gut health and mood? Review, 2023 How does the stress response system affect depression during reproductive stages like PMDD? Survey study, 2011 Does work stress and night shifts increase risk of PMS and PMDD? Survey study, 2005 How does trauma history affect PMDD symptoms and pregnancy? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗