Extra support after fertility treatment?

Research conducted by the University of Bristol and published in the British Journal of General Practice has indicated that couples who conceive via fertility treatment may need additional antenatal support.  This small, interview-based study, was conducted with couples after their 28th week of pregnancy who had undergone fertility treatment to conceive.  Participants were asked about their experiences of infertility treatment, pregnancy, and antenatal care.  Results from this study suggested that participant experienced a “gap” between the care they received during fertility treatment and standard antenatal care and this heightened their sense of anxiety.  The research authors concluded that these families may require additional support in the primary care setting antenatally.  

Dr Lydia French, lead researcher on this study, said: “It was also evident that both men and women found it difficult to prepare for childbirth and parenthood because they feared losing the pregnancy. This, combined with feeling different to the normal birth population, made some couples reluctant to join antenatal classes.”

View the full study here 

For a summary see here