ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY AND FETAL ATTACHMENT AFTER IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION CONCEPTION

The aim of this study was to compare 70 couples who had conceived by i n-vitro fertilization (IVF) with 63 matched controls for the prevalenc e of anxiety and quality of attachment to the baby during pregnancy. R esults for mothers showed no group differences using a global measure of anxiety, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, pr egnancy-specific measures revealed significantly higher levels of anxi ety in NF mothers about the survival and normality of their unborn bab ies, about damage to their babies during childbirth and about separati ng from their babies after birth. When IVF mothers were differentiated according to the number of treatment cycles, more differences in anxi ety level were revealed, with most increases occurring in mothers who had experienced two or more treatment cycles. IVF fathers did not diff er from controls on the global anxiety measure. No data on pregnancy-s pecific anxiety were available for fathers. Neither IVF mothers nor IV F fathers differed from controls on measures of attachment to the baby during pregnancy. Results are discussed in the context of the need fo r researchers to employ differentiated and issue-specific measures to identify concerns that may be unique to IVF couples. Clinical implicat ions regarding the need for psychological support during pregnancy are also discussed.