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PETBioNewsNewsIVF linked to 'baby blues'

BioNews

IVF linked to 'baby blues'

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 324

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BioNews

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.

Australian researchers have found that mothers who have children after fertility treatment face a higher risk of suffering from postnatal depression and difficulties with early parenting. Reporting in the journal Fertility and Sterility, the scientists, who are based at the University of Melbourne, suggest that a history of difficulties with...

Australian researchers have found that mothers who have children after fertility treatment face a higher risk of suffering from postnatal depression and difficulties with early parenting. Reporting in the journal Fertility and Sterility, the scientists, who are based at the University of Melbourne, suggest that a history of difficulties with conception makes a woman four times more likely to suffer depression after becoming a mother, compared to women who conceive naturally.


Dr Jane Fisher and colleagues looked at the medical records of 745 women who sought treatment for postnatal depression at a specialist clinic, ranging from mild to moderate depression, anxiety or other problems. Of these, 526 records showed the means of conception. The research team found that six per cent of the women in the group had conceived by IVF compared with only 1.5 per cent of women in the general population.


The group also found that women who became mothers using IVF were likely to be older, have multiple births and require delivery by Caesarean section. All these factors have been linked to an increased risk of postnatal depression in previous studies. These findings led the researchers to speculate that 'a previous history of fertility difficulties, advanced maternal age, assisted conception, operative delivery and multiple birth may heighten the risk for postpartum mood disturbance and early parenting difficulties'.


The researchers conclude that women who achieve pregnancy after undergoing fertility treatment might benefit from additional emotional support before and after they have their babies. 'Obstetricians, paediatricians and other clinicians caring for pregnant women and mothers and infants after childbirth should be conscious that a previous history of fertility difficulties and assisted conception may heighten risk for postpartum depression and early parenting difficulties', say the research team. Professor Robert Schenken, fertility specialist and the president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, agreed that there was growing awareness among infertility specialists of the issue.

Related Articles

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
27 September 2010 • 1 minute read

Fertility drugs may not be responsible for mood changes

by Sarah Pritchard

Research suggests the anxiety and depression some women experience when undergoing IVF may not be linked to the hormone drugs used in the treatment...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Comment
18 June 2009 • 3 minutes read

IVF is not just about biology

by Doriver Lilley

As reported in this week's BioNews, Australian researchers have recently published a study which shows mothers who conceive following IVF are four times more likely to suffer from post natal depression. However, I would present that as only one of a number of negative factors more common to this group...

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