|
24th August 2005 IVF mothers more prone to baby blues Mothers who conceive through assisted fertilisation such as IVF are at increased risk for post-natal mood disorder and early parenting difficulties. The Australian research was led by Dr. Jane R. W. Fisher, from the University of Melbourne and is published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. They followed 526 women admitted over a 3-year period to a hospital unit that specializes in the care of mothers with mood disorders or exhaustion, and infants with sleeping or feeding problems. The report found the 6 per cent of the babies were born using assisted conception, compared to a national average of 1.5 per cent. The researchers say these findings suggest that assisted conception does raise the risk of maternal mood disorder and infant sleeping or feeding problems. Dr Fisher said that medical staff should be aware of the risk of PND for women following IVF. "This data would suggest that obstetricians, pediatricians, and other clinicians caring for pregnant women and mothers and infants after childbirth should be conscious 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." They called for more research, suggesting that one possible cause is that women who use IVF were older, more likely to have multiple births and to undergo caesarean section, all of which have been linked to an increased risk of developing PND. "Further research specifically designed to investigate the separate contributions of maternal age and modes of conception and delivery and of multiple birth to postpartum psychological adjustment in women is needed."
Where to next?
|
News
|
|
