The effects of Pennebaker’s writing technique on treatment success and alexithymia in couples subjected to assisted reproductive treatment.

Introduction: W.H.O. considers that 15-20% of couples suffer of fertility problems. Aim of this study was to assess the effects of Pennebaker’s writing technique on alexithymia and treatment success (pregnancy) in couples subjected to an assisted reproductive treatment (ART). Methods: through randomization 54 women admitted for ART in a medical centre were divided into two groups: an experimental one, where women wrote for three times about their deepest thoughts and emotions concerning the infertility experience, and a control group where women didn’t write. Women and men of both groups completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the TAS-20 before and after the writing sessions. Results: Separated analysis for groups of men and women were conducted. Regarding alexithymia, analysis showed a significant reduction in the “Difficulty Identifying Feelings” score (p=.01) in the group of women after writing. Reductions on TAS-20 Total score (p=.06) and on the “Externally-Oriented Thinking” score (p=.01) were also found in the group of men whose wives wrote. After ART 8 successes in the experimental group versus 4 of the control group were reported (p=n.s.). The number of treatment successes of couples who refused to participate in the study (0) was compared with total success of both experimental and control groups (12) and a trend in the expected direction emerged (p=.08). Conclusions: findings support the usefulness of writing technique in promoting emotional awareness in ART treatment. No significant results were reported for treatment success, probably because of small sample size. Further data will be collected to support these preliminary results.