KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - The stress of infertility follows many IVF mums into parenthood, according to a snapshot revealing they have much higher rates of anxiety and baby problems than women who conceive naturally.
The largest Australian study of mothering after assisted conception has found that these women are three times more likely to be admitted to early parenting centres in the 18 months after giving birth.
They also are more anxious about caring for their baby, less confident in their mothering skills and more likely to stop breast feeding early.
The University of Melbourne study tracked 150 women over the first 18 months of motherhood and compared their results with data from other mothers.
Study leader Dr Karin Hammarberg, from the Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, said there were strong links between the amount of difficulty a woman had conceiving and her self-esteem on leaving hospital.
"Women who take longer to conceive go through more treatment cycles and have miscarriages and have lower levels of confidence when they go home with their new babies," she said.
"The lengthy process of relying on technology to do what their body can't really takes a toll."
The unpublished study found that IVF mothers were an average of five years older, more likely to be having their first child and nine times more likely to have twins.
They also were far more likely to have a caesarean birth and report being disappointed with the actual birth experience, the researcher said.
They tended to have very high expectations of life with a new baby, leaving them unprepared for the extraordinary demands involved in its care.
Dr Hammarberg said they had less trust in their bodies, with 55 per cent switching to bottle-feeding in the first three months, probably because they did not believe they could keep producing milk.
On top of this, they often did not feel as if they could complain about the problems they were having, she said.
"Women who conceive on IVF feel incredibly lucky, and everybody tells them how lucky they are, so they really don't feel entitled to complain."
Almost 3 per cent of Australian births are the result of IVF or other assisted technologies. The number rises as more couples delay parenthood.
Dr Hammarberg said more effort must go into giving them extra support. "It's about doing a few ... things to help women who have had a few knocks."
* About 650 babies are born in New Zealand each year as a result of IVF treatment.
Differences aplenty
A new snapshot comparing Australia's IVF mums with those who give birth naturally:
* IVF mums are more affluent, better educated and in more supportive relationships than other mothers.
* They are an average of five years older than other mums, and are more likely to be having their first child.
* They are nine times more likely to have twins.
* They are three times more likely to be admitted to early parenting centres, which help with feeding and settling problems.
* Only 45 per cent of IVF mums were breast-feeding at three months, compared with 62 per cent of other mothers.
* They have much higher rates of anxiety on leaving hospital, and are less confident in their mothering skills.
* They are twice as likely to have a caesarean birth than other mums.
* They are more likely to be disappointed with their birth experience than other women.
- AAP
