Psychological status of in vitro fertilization patients during pregnancy: A longitudinal study

Objective: To determine whether women who get pregnant as a result of IVF differ psychologically from pregnant women who conceived naturally. Design: Prospective, longitudinal study. Setting: Healthy volunteers from outpatient infertility and obstetrics practices. Patient(s): Seventy-four women who became pregnant via IVF and 40 women conceiving without medical intervention. Intervention(s): Subjects completed self-report questionnaires about demographic and reproductive history, rewards and concerns of pregnancy, self-esteem, marital adjustment, depressive symptoms, and anxiety at 12 and 28 weeks' gestational age. Main Outcome Measure(s): Self-esteem, depression, and anxiety scores. Result(s): There were no significant differences between groups on any of the outcome measures assessing psychological status at the two assessment times. Differences were found on specific items assessing the rewards and concerns of pregnancy. Within-group changes over time indicated that IVF women, not controls, showed an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety during pregnancy. Conclusion(s): Pregnant IVF women are similar psychologically to women who become pregnant naturally on dimensions of self-esteem, depression, and anxiety at 12 and 28 weeks' gestational age. The IVF group, not controls, reported improved self- esteem and decreased anxiety as the pregnancy progressed. (C) 2000 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.