Assisted conception is a risk factor for postnatal mood disturbance and early parenting difficulties

Objective: To investigate whether assisted conception is associated with an increased risk of admission to a residential early parenting program for treatment of maternal mood disorder or infant feeding or sleeping disordors in the postpartum year. Design: Systematic audit of consecutive medical records. Setting: Masada Private Hospital Mother Baby Unit (MPHMBU), Melbourne, Australia. Patient(s): Medical records of all mother-infant dyads admitted to MPHMBU between July 2000 and August 2002. Intervention(s): None Main Outcome Measure(s): Modes of conception and delivery of index infant, maternal and infant age on admission, multiplicity of birth, infant birth weight, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores. Result(s): A total of 745 records were audied, and mode of conception was recorded in 526 (70.6%) of records. Overall 6% (45/745) of the admitted infants had been conceived through assisted reproductive technologies compared with 1.52% in the general population (relative risk 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 3.0 - 5.4). Mothers who had conceived with assisted reproductive technologies were older and more likely to have had cesarean and multiple births than those who conceived spontaneously. Conclusion: Assisted conception appears to be associated with a significantly increased rate of early parenting difficulties. Women who experience assisted conception may require additional support before and after their babies are born.