The effect of music interventions on anxiety, pain, and pregnancy rates in women undergoing fertility treatment before oocyte collection and embryo transfer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

•A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted.•Music therapy reduced anxiety and pain in women with fertility issues.•Music therapy had a limited effect on birth rates in women with fertility issues.•Music therapy significantly reduced anxiety scores prior to oocyte collection.•There was no evidence of an effect on pregnancy rate. The present review aimed to evaluate the available evidence in the literature on the effect of music interventions on improving outcomes related to anxiety, pain, and pregnancy rates of women undergoing fertility treatment, prior to oocyte collection and embryo transfer. We searched the following databases from database inception to 2 May 2024, PUBMED, Embase, Web of Science, and the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center (ULAKBIM). Randomized controlled trials (RCT) in Turkish and English languages were included in the screening. Articles were scanned using MeSH-based keywords. The data were analyzed using the Review Manager computer program (Version 5.4.1). A total of 8 RCTs, including 1634 female patients, were included in our review. Music interventions significantly reduced anxiety scores prior to oocyte collection or fertilization compared to the control group (Standardised Mean Difference (SMD):0.26, 95 % CI:0.39 to 0.13, Z = 3.91, p < 0.0001). Moreover, after the music treatment, there was a significant improvement in the pain score during the procedure (SMD:0.96, 95 % CI:1.72 to -0.20, Z = 2.49, p = 0.01). Although more women in the music interventions group experienced an increase in the clinical pregnancy rate compared to the control group, there was no evidence of an effect on pregnancy rate (SMD:0.14, 95 % CI:2.63 to 2.34, Z = 0.11, p = 0.91). Music interventions appears to improve anxiety and pain scores in female patients receiving fertility treatment when administered during oocyte collection and fertilization. They may increase the clinical pregnancy rate but this not statistically significant. More research with larger sample sizes is needed to investigate the impact of music interventions on assisted reproductive technology clinical outcomes.