The Impact of Experienced Trauma, Alexithymia, and Thought Suppression on Endocrine Function in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment

The present study sought to explore the understudied psychological constructs of alexithymia, thought suppression, and trauma symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of women undergoing treatment for infertility. Potential relationships between scales measuring these constructs (The Toronto Alexithymia Scale; TAS-20, the White Bear Suppression Inventory; WBSI, and the Impact of Events Scale, Revised; IES-R) and levels of two sex hormones (estradiol and luteinizing hormone) prior to initiating treatment and then across time were also explored. Results indicated that participants' scores on all study scales were elevated relative to non-clinical normative data. Sex hormone levels were shown to be normal at baseline for estradiol but abnormally high across the menstrual cycle for this hormone, which was unrelated to infertility treatment protocol. Levels of luteinizing hormone were lower than normal at baseline but in the normal range across the menstrual cycle. Results indicated that IES-R total and subscale scores as well as TAS-20 subscale scores were positively related to abnormal levels of estradiol at baseline and over time and that scores on one TAS-20 subscale positively moderated the relationship between IES-R scores and abnormal estradiol levels.