TY - JOUR
T1 - Pre-birth characteristics and 5-year follow-up of women with cryopreserved embryos after successful invitro fertilisation treatment
AU - Stiel, Mareike
AU - McMahon, Catherine Anne
AU - Elwyn, Glyn
AU - Boivin, Jacky
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - Many patients do not make a decision about the disposition of their surplus embryos until they are compelled to do so by statutory limits. In the current study, the characteristics of women who had conceived through invitro fertilisation (IVF) and who still had embryos stored (E-S; n=26) 5 years after IVF were compared to a cohort comparison group (C-C; n=40). At time 1 (T1, 28 weeks pregnant) women completed questionnaires on personality traits (anxiety, locus of control and dependency) and participated in an interview on socio-demographic characteristics, family composition and stored embryos. At T2 (5 years later) women were re-interviewed and asked about beliefs about the embryos. Women in the E-S group were significantly younger, had been married or living with their partner for fewer years and had had more children than the C-C group. Further, women in the E-S group were more likely to have an external locus of control and a dependent personality than women in the C-C group. Almost all women in the E-S group (88.5%) thought of their embryos as siblings to existing children, and reported thinking about the embryos occasionally (61.5%) or frequently (34.6%). The personality differences identified may suggest that women who still have embryos after the end of fertility treatment may be in need of decision support.
AB - Many patients do not make a decision about the disposition of their surplus embryos until they are compelled to do so by statutory limits. In the current study, the characteristics of women who had conceived through invitro fertilisation (IVF) and who still had embryos stored (E-S; n=26) 5 years after IVF were compared to a cohort comparison group (C-C; n=40). At time 1 (T1, 28 weeks pregnant) women completed questionnaires on personality traits (anxiety, locus of control and dependency) and participated in an interview on socio-demographic characteristics, family composition and stored embryos. At T2 (5 years later) women were re-interviewed and asked about beliefs about the embryos. Women in the E-S group were significantly younger, had been married or living with their partner for fewer years and had had more children than the C-C group. Further, women in the E-S group were more likely to have an external locus of control and a dependent personality than women in the C-C group. Almost all women in the E-S group (88.5%) thought of their embryos as siblings to existing children, and reported thinking about the embryos occasionally (61.5%) or frequently (34.6%). The personality differences identified may suggest that women who still have embryos after the end of fertility treatment may be in need of decision support.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77149140471&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/01674820903537081
DO - 10.3109/01674820903537081
M3 - Article
C2 - 20146641
AN - SCOPUS:77149140471
VL - 31
SP - 32
EP - 39
JO - Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology
JF - Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology
SN - 0167-482X
IS - 1
ER -