Abstract
Women diagnosed with infertility often experience elevated psychological distress both before and during treatment, which can adversely affect clinical pregnancy rates. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of virtual reality technology in decreasing psychological distress and increasing pregnancy rates in women diagnosed with infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI). This randomised controlled trial study was conducted at Kosar University Hospital in Urmia, Iran, in 2024, involving 114 women diagnosed with infertility. Participants were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 57), which viewed a selected video with 360-degree virtual reality glasses for 20 min before and 10 min during the IUI procedure, or the control group (n = 57), which received standard care. Psychological outcomes were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Pennsylvania State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). The clinical pregnancy rates, a secondary outcome, was evaluated 14 days post-IUI using a Beta hCG test. Results indicated that the intervention group exhibited significantly lower median scores (interquartile range) for worry, anxiety, and depression compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the odds of a positive pregnancy test were 2.76 times higher in the intervention group (95% CI, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that virtual reality technology is an effective intervention for reducing psychological distress and improving pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing IUI.
Trial Registration: The study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT Id: IRCT20231013059702N2 Registration date: 2024-02-11).
Data availability
The data used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the University of Medical Sciences of Urmia. The authors would like to give their gratitude to all women participating in the study for their cooperation.
Funding
This study was financially supported by the Urmia University of Medical Sciences.
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GH.GH. and R.B. conceptualized and designed the study. GH.GH., R.B. and T.B.L. coordinated and supervised data collection. RB conducted the statistical analyses. R.B, GH.GH, and M.M drafted the initial manuscript. Each coordinated in drafting the manuscript or revising it; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at Urmia University of Medical Sciences and are in compliance with all ethical guidelines (Approval code: (IR.UMSU.REC.1402.321). The study was described to participants and they were assured that their participation was voluntary. It was also clearly explained that their participation was voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any time. Written informed consent was provided by all the participants.
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Gholami, G., lak, T.B., Bayrami, R. et al. The use of virtual reality technology among women undergoing intrauterine insemination: a randomized controlled study. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32620-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32620-8
