Quality of Life and General Health in Pregnant Women Conceived with Assisted Reproduction Technologies: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Infertility affects different aspects of life including the quality of life (QOL) in infertile couples. Many infertile couples conceive via using assisted reproduction technologies (ART). However, the effect of preg- nancy and childbearing on QOL is not known in these couples. This study aimed to evaluate QOL and general health during pregnancy and after successful treatment of infertility, in women conceived with ART. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, QOL and general heath were evaluated in 40 women conceived with ART and 40 women who conceived spontaneously and served as the control group. WHO quality of life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) inventory was used to evaluate QOL and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was applied to evaluate general health. These two questionnaires were completed in the first and second trimester of pregnancy and results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean age of women was 29.4 ± 4.4 and 29.6 ± 5 years in ART and control group, respectively. QOL in women conceived with ART was similar to QOL in the control group in the first and second trimester of pregnancy while general health score (distress level) in women conceived with ART was significantly higher than that of the control group in both trimesters. Although distress level decreased in the second trimester in ART group, but yet, it was higher than that recorded for the control group. CONCLUSION: After pregnancy, QOL in women conceived with ART is similar to women conceived spontaneously. However, these women experience higher distress level in the first and second trimester of pregnancy compared to women conceived spontaneously.