Long-term adjustment to unmet parenthood goals following ART: a systematic review and meta-analysis

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div><div class="boxTitle">BACKGROUND</div>Fertility treatment is not guaranteed to succeed and around 30% of patients do not achieve parenthood. Failed treatment represents the loss of parenthood and often triggers intense and prolonged grief reactions. There is an increasing awareness of the need to support patients in the aftermath of failed treatment; however, there are no effective interventions for the effect. This need for support is expected to increase as the number of people delaying parenthood increases and therefore so does the number for whom assisted reproduction will not offer a solution.<div class="boxTitle">OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE</div>This mixed-methods review aims at investigating if patients with failed fertility treatment experience significant psychosocial adjustment difficulties that warrant the provision of psychosocial support, and at developing a comprehensive model of adjustment to unmet parenthood goals that can be used to assist the design of theory led psychosocial interventions.<div class="boxTitle">SEARCH METHODS</div>Five databases were systematically searched between 1978 and December 2015. Search terms were variations of fertility treatment AND psychosocial adjustment AND post-treatment. Quantitative studies had to include group mean comparisons on psychosocial adjustment (mental-health and well-being) between patients who had ...
Source: Human Reproduction Update - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research