Dissertation 12 May 2017: Carolyn Cesta

On Friday May 12, Carolyn Cesta will defend her thesis "Stress, depression, and other psychiatric disorders: an epidemiological approach to studying the causes and consequences for in vitro fertilization outcome and polycystic ovary syndrome". Dr Sunni Mumford from the Epidemiology Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will act as her opponent. Carolyn's supervisors are Anastasia Iliadou Nyman, Mikael Landén, Sven Cnattingius and Alkistis Skalkidou.

Carolyn's thesis is comprised of four studies and divided into two parts, where reproductive epidemiology, psychiatric epidemiology, and pharmacoepidemiology come together. Part 1 examines the impact of stress and depression on the outcomes of infertility treatment in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Up to 30% of couples will experience difficulties conceiving, and women undergoing infertility treatment report high levels of stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. There is concern that stress affects the success of the infertility treatment, and little is known about the influence of depression and treatment with antidepressants on fertility. Part 2 investigates psychiatric disorders in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a common endocrine disorder, affecting up to 15% of reproductive-aged women and is often accompanied by metabolic disorders and depression.

Time and location: 13:00, May 12 2017 in the lecture hall Petrén, Nobels väg 12B, Karolinska Institutet, Solna