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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on August 6, 2009
Human Reproduction 2009 24(11):2801-2809; doi:10.1093/humrep/dep282
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Early post-partum adjustment and admission to parenting services in Victoria, Australia after assisted conception

K. Hammarberg1, H.J.R. Rowe and J.R.W. Fisher

Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia

1 Correspondence address. Tel: +61-3-8344 4333; Fax: +61-3-93479824; E-mail: karinh{at}unimelb.edu.au

BACKGROUND: Higher rates of admission to residential early parenting services (REPSs) after assisted conception compared with spontaneous conception have been reported. The aim of this study was to characterize early post-partum psychological functioning and the rate of, and risks factors for, admission to REPSs in women conceiving with assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Australia.

METHODS: A consecutive cohort of women who had conceived through ART was recruited systematically in early pregnancy. At 3 months post-partum, participants completed postal questionnaires which included a new measure of the degree of difficulty involved in conceiving, the Burden of Infertility and Treatment (BIT) scale.

RESULTS: Of 166 women who participated, 8% had already been admitted to a REPS within 3 months, which is a higher rate compared with other women in the first 12 months (5%). Compared with community samples of new mothers, there was no difference in rate of depression. A higher proportion reported dysregulated infant behaviours (P < 0.0001) and a smaller proportion was breast feeding exclusively (P < 0.0001). Greater difficulty conceiving (higher BIT score) was associated with lower maternal confidence.

CONCLUSIONS: Clinical care of the increasing group of women who conceive with ART should include explicit assessment of early post-partum psychological functioning and early intervention if difficulties in managing infant behaviour are reported.

Key words: assisted reproductive technology/women/post-partum mood/parenting services

Submitted on February 17, 2009; resubmitted on June 30, 2009; accepted on July 9, 2009.


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