ArticleInternational journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics2026
Mediating role of sleep disorders in the association between depression and infertility: A cross-sectional study using the National Health and nutrition examination survey.
Article in International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSleep disorders and depression are prevalent conditions that can affect reproductive health. However, the complex interplay between these factors and infertility remains poorly understood, particularly the potential mediating role of sleep disorders in the association between depression and infertility.
methodsWe analyzed data from 2068 female participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including 244 women with self-reported infertility. Multivariable regression analyses examined associations between depression, sleep disorders, and infertility. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify effect modifications, and mediation analysis was performed to assess whether sleep disorders mediate the association between depression and infertility.
resultsThe infertility group had significantly higher prevalence of sleep disorders compared to the non-infertility group (33.78% vs. 24.12%, P = 0.034). In subgroup analyses, sleep disorders were significantly associated with infertility among participants without depression (odds ratio [OR] 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-3.23, P = 0.012), those with obesity (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.05-3.79, P = 0.037), never smokers (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.11-3.04, P = 0.018), and individuals with impaired fasting glucose (OR 4.75, 95% CI 1.16-19.48, P = 0.032). Depression was significantly associated with infertility among participants aged <35 years (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.05-3.20, P = 0.035). Most importantly, mediation analysis revealed that sleep disorders significantly mediated the association between depression and infertility, accounting for 67.6% of the total effect (coefficient = 0.01839, 95% CI: 0.00634-0.03589, P < 0.001).
conclusionOur findings suggest that sleep disorders might play a critical mediating role in the relationship between depression and infertility. This highlights the importance of addressing sleep health in reproductive-aged women, particularly those with depression, as a potential strategy for improving fertility outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.