Early post-partum adjustment and admission to parenting services in Victoria, Australia after assisted conception

Higher rates of admission to residential early parenting services (REPSs) after assisted conception compared with spontaneous conception have been reported. The aim of this study was to characterize early post-partum psychological functioning and the rate of, and risks factors for, admission to REPSs in women conceiving with assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Australia.

A consecutive cohort of women who had conceived through ART was recruited systematically in early pregnancy. At 3 months post-partum, participants completed postal questionnaires which included a new measure of the degree of difficulty involved in conceiving, the Burden of Infertility and Treatment (BIT) scale.

Of 166 women who participated, 8% had already been admitted to a REPS within 3 months, which is a higher rate compared with other women in the first 12 months (5%). Compared with community samples of new mothers, there was no difference in rate of depression. A higher proportion reported dysregulated infant behaviours (P < 0.0001) and a smaller proportion was breast feeding exclusively (P < 0.0001). Greater difficulty conceiving (higher BIT score) was associated with lower maternal confidence.

Clinical care of the increasing group of women who conceive with ART should include explicit assessment of early post-partum psychological functioning and early intervention if difficulties in managing infant behaviour are reported.