Consequences of IVF among women: 10 years post-treatment

Abstract

Between 2.1% and 4.2% of all children born in Scandinavian countries are conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technology. The present study is one of the first to have followed up infertile women over a long period. Data on outcomes, satisfaction and the perceived consequences of IVF treatment were collected by means of a questionnaire among a random sample of women (response rate 42%; N = 66) who had undergone IVF at a tertiary referral university hospital in Norway. It was found that 10 years post-treatment, the majority of the women had children, whether through adoption, spontaneous pregnancy or IVF. A remarkable number of the women neither had told nor intended to tell their children that they had been conceived through IVF. Although most of the women said that they regard the treatment period as a painful one, they also said that it was now in the past and no longer affected their lives in a devastating way: they had found a way to cope with this difficult period in their life.

Long-term outcome of parenthood project during in vitro fertilization and after discontinuation of unsuccessful in vitro fertilization

“…Analyzing long-term outcome of 108 patients referred to one Norwegian IVF center in 1996 and interviewed 10 years later, Sundby et al (13) found an overall success probability of 77%, including 47% of patients who had a child during IVF treatment, 15% who adopted a child, and 15% who had a child after a spontaneous pregnancy. In this Norwegian study, the authors also reported that 13% of patients were bringing up a child (10% as a foster parent and 3% as a stepmother).…”

Investigating Infertility-Related Stress and Adoption in Iranian Infertile Females with Assisted Reproductive Technology Failure

“…For many infertile couples, the time between diagnosis, treatment and outcome can be extensive and, if medical treatments are unsuccessful, couples are left to decide if they want to continue treatments, stop treatment, pursue adoption or stay childfree (36)(37)(38). In the study by Sundby et al (39), 56% of the women, who had started fertility treatment 10 years before, had considered divorce, and 17% actually ended the relationship. Furthermore, in some cultures, the concept of voluntary childlessness may not even exist (40).…”

The influence of infertility and in vitro fertilization treatment on postpartum and long-term mental health in women

“…There were statistically significant differences for depressive, obsessive-compulsive and somatisation symptoms as well as an increased strength of the reported symptoms in the women who had previously undergone IVF treatment. These results are in accordance with those of Gameiro et al (159) in showing that the risk of adverse mental health symptoms can be increased in women many years after infertility treatment (159), but that most women adjust well after infertility treatment, irrespective of its outcome (158,164).…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated the importance of coping for the long-term psychological consequences of unsuccessful treatment (150,(157)(158)(159)163). Gameiro et al (164) found that most women had adjusted well emotionally 2.5 years after treatment, but that 37% showed evidence of emotional maladjustment and that, 11-17 years after treatment, 1 in 10 women showed no evidence of recovery (164).…”

“…About 10 years after treatment, Sundby et al (158) found that while some women still suffered psychological consequences from their infertility, most women viewed the time of infertility treatment as a difficult part of their lives but had since moved on.…”