Psychological Outcomes for Women After Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment

Abstract

Fertility treatment offers women the possibility of having a child when they would otherwise not be able to. However, there is little doubt that treatment can be highly stressful, particularly when it fails. Although the potential for negative consequences of failed treatment is a major concern, strong longitudinal research evidence is sparse. Our aim was to examine whether the resolution of infertility through having a child, either biologically or through adoption, would be associated with positive changes in psychological adjustment compared to those women who continued to face infertility.