Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that perceived stress in early pregnancy is associated with increased rates of miscarriage. We aimed to determine if psychological stressors have an impact on conception and miscarriage rates after medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Women were recruited to this study prior to commencing MAR and were followed to identify if they conceived or had a miscarriage. The survey focused on perceived stress, emotional well-being, maternal social support and outlook. 320 women responded to the survey. 290 proceeded to MAR and 58% of those women conceived. An analysis of stressful life events in the preceding 12 months did not reveal any difference in rates of conception. Overall, the rates of emotional wellbeing, maternal support and perceived stress did not differ between those who conceived and those who did not. We observed a higher rate of miscarriage amongst those who reported a stressful/demanding job. A number of women reported stressful life events and separation/divorce in higher numbers amongst the miscarriage group but the numbers are small, which may affect the interpretation of this result. This study suggests that stressors do not greatly affect conception rates following MAR but they may have an impact on miscarriage rates.