Anxiety Symptoms during late pregnancy and early parenthood following assisted reproductive technology

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between assisted reproduction technology (ART) and early parenthood. Method: Women with ART pregnancy were prospectively compared to their partners and to women with spontaneus pregnancies. The sample of 87 subjects, 48 ART (25 mothers and 23 fathers) and 39 non-ART mothers were given the ASQ-IPAT Anxiety Scale at 30-32 weeks of gestation, and at one week and 3 months after delivery. Results: ART women showed higher scores for latent anxiety that non-ART women at 3 months after birth and showed no difference from ART men in all assessments. Manifest anxiety scores in ART women were higher, compared to non-ART women during the third trimester of pregnancy and one week after birth were higher in all assessments when compared to ART men. Overall level of anxiety was higher in ART women in all assessments when coompared to non-ART women and higher than in ART men during the 2 postnatal assessments.