A review of psychosocial and family functioning following assisted reproductive treatment

Assisted reproductive intervention is an increasingly popular choice following a diagnosis of infertility and has inspired researchers to consider the implications of successful treatment on families, both in the short and long term. A well functioning health care system will meet the global needs of the society it resources, including its relatively healthy population utilizing health care to improve the quality of their life through fertility treatment. This review addresses the welfare and needs identified in studies of parents and children following assisted reproductive intervention, in an attempt to determine if these are supported by the health or social care systems. The literature was searched using electronic databases and book searches. Few significant differences have been found between Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) families and naturally conceiving families and when differences were found they were generally within the normal range. Studies tended to be cross sectional rather than longitudinal, and evaluations of cultural differences are not reported. In general, research findings are reassuring to ART parents, their offspring, those considering assisted reproductive treatment and health care professionals. What is lacking is research into the functioning of couples giving up unsuccessfully.