Adverse Childhood Experiences and Infertility : ACESI

Overview

Adverse childhood experiences can have powerful effects on health and quality of life in adulthood. Thus, having a history of childhood trauma, before the age of 18 (physical aggression, sexual abuse, death of a close person, etc.) significantly increases the risk of having cancer, cardiovascular disease, psychological damage , or earlier mortality. Validated scores allow the evaluation of the importance of adverse childhood experiences, in particular the ACE score (adverse childhood experiences) published by Felitti. Studies on the subject show a dose-response relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences and negative outcomes in terms of health and well-being. The physiopathological tracks to explain the occurrence of somatic pathologies in adulthood include the observation of a state of hyper-activation of the HPA axis that persists in adulthood; modulations of immunity, but also epigenetic modifications. Some data are available on the associations between childhood trauma and obstetric risks, with a significant increase in the risk of preterm delivery and fetal death in utero. Primary objective : 1a) To study the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in women consulting for the first time in an PMA service for the desire to become pregnant, and 1b) To study the association between adverse childhood experiences and infertility in adulthood, by comparing infertile women with nulliparous control women in the general population consulting for their classic gynecological follow-up.

Procedures for recruiting participants: Cases (infertile women): A poster presenting the study will be put up in the waiting room of the PMA center of the Grenoble University Hospital. The information and non-objection letter as well as the ACE questionnaire will be made available to them in the waiting room. If the patient agrees to participate, she will complete the questionnaire completely anonymously and submit it to the secretariat. Witnesses: A poster presenting the study will be put up in gynecology practices (Non-exhaustive list: Cabinet Gynelac of Dr Flandrin in Aix les Bains, Cabinet of Dr Chabre Groupe Hospitalier Mutualiste in Grenoble, Cabinet of Dr Fragai in Voiron , Cabinet of Dr. Biot at the Clinique des Cèdres in Echirolles, etc.) thus any woman consulting for a gynecological follow-up will be able to find out about the study. The information and non-objection letter as well as the ACE questionnaire will be made available to them in the waiting room. If the patient agrees to participate, she will complete the questionnaire completely anonymously and submit it to the secretariat. After inclusion, case women and control women will benefit from the usual care in the PMA center, or by their usual gynecologist. The participation of subjects in this study will in no way modify their care. The participation of the subjects will be limited to filling out the ACE questionnaire. No additional visit, no sampling or additional treatment other than those commonly carried out for the care of infertile women is carried out for this study. If after answering the questionnaire, patients feel the need, they can be directed to the "Maison Des Femmes" in Grenoble, where they can benefit from appropriate multidisciplinary care (doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, etc.). Modalities of information and traceability of the non-opposition: Cases (infertile women): the information letter will be available in the waiting room. The questionnaire being anonymous, there will be no possibility of opposition after having answered the questionnaire. Witnesses: the newsletter will be available in the waiting room. The questionnaire being anonymous, there will be no possibility of opposition after having answered the questionnaire.