Infertility, one of the important components of reproductive health, affects one in four couples in developing countries.The emergence of assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) gives infertile couples the opportunity to have both pregnancy and a baby. Couples are affected emotionally during IVF treatment and women experience more problems than men. The majority of women experience emotional problems such as anxiety and depression because of infertility, invasive treatment procedures, physiological effects of gonadotropin stimulation and positive outcome expectation.Considering the effect of anxiety and depression on infertile women, it is important to examine the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation exercises and laughter therapy as complementary therapy in psychosocial care.
Purpose: This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercises and laughter therapy on the mental health and treatment outcomes of women receiving IVF treatment.~Design: Randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (IG; n = 71) and control group (CG; n = 70). The progressive muscle relaxation and laughter therapy was administered to women in the intervention group in the IVF center for 3-4 times and 40 minutes. The CG received routine care. Data were collected using baseline and oocyte retrieval day STAI and BDI.