title: Infertility treatment and marital relationships: a 1-year prospective study among successfully treated ART couples and their controls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence about the effects of infertility and assisted reproduction technique (ART) on marital relationships is discrepant. Here, we examined the impact of ART on marital relationships. The roles of life stressors, infertility and treatment characteristics in predicting marital relations were also evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  367 couples with singleton IVF/ICSI pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  379 couples with spontaneous singleton pregnancies. Women and men were assessed when the child was 2 months (T2) and 12 months old (T3). They further reported stressful life events at T2 and depression in pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No between-group differences were found in marital satisfaction and dyadic cohesion. Dyadic consensus deteriorated from T2 to T3 only among control women. Sexual affection was low among control men at T2 and stressful life events decreased it further. Depression during pregnancy predicted deteriorated marital relations only in control couples. Several unsuccessful treatment attempts were associated with good dyadic consensus and cohesion among ART women. Spontaneous abortions and multiple parity predicted poor marital satisfaction in ART women, whereas long duration of infertility and multiple parity predicted poor marital relations in ART men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Successful ART does not constitute a risk for marital adjustment. The shared stress of infertility may even stabilize marital relationships.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. leena.repokari@hus.fi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Repokari
authors.forename: R-L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Punamäki
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Unkila-Kallio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vilska
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poikkeus
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinkkonen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Almqvist
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiitinen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tulppala
mesh_terms: D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000523:psychology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology