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Medically assisted reproduction, including fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related technologies, has been linked with adverse mental health outcomes.
Medically assisted reproduction, including fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related technologies, has been linked with adverse mental health outcomes. While maternal mental health after assisted reproduction is well-studied, the psychological impact on fathers remains under-recognized. Thus, this study explored the risk of paternal postpartum depression (PPD) among fathers of children conceived through medically assisted conception compared with natural conception (unassisted conception).
Using comprehensive national health registry data, researchers identified all fathers of kids born in Denmark. Births were classified as either unassisted conception or medically assisted reproduction conception, based on linkage to fertility treatment records. Medically assisted reproduction cases were further stratified by:
PPD was defined as either a hospital diagnosis of depression or redemption of antidepressant prescriptions within 12 months after childbirth. Adjusted Poisson regression models were applied for estimating relative risks, controlling for key confounders including age, socioeconomic status, education, income level, parity, and clustering owing to multiple births to the same father.
The final cohort comprised 413,682 live births, of which 31,128 (7.5%) resulted from medically assisted reproduction. Compared to fathers in the unassisted conception group, those in the medically assisted reproduction group were:
Overall, 0.9% of fathers experienced PPD (270 cases following assisted conception and 3,542 following unassisted conception). After multivariable adjustment, fathers of children conceived through assisted conception had a 22% higher likelihood of paternal PPD compared to those with unassisted conception (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.22). Elevated risks were observed consistently across different assisted conception treatment types, various infertility indications, and treatment duration categories. The highest risk was noted among fathers undergoing fertility treatment lasting more than 12 months, with a 42% heightened risk of PPD (aRR 1.42).
This large nationwide cohort study demonstrated a substantially increased risk of paternal PPD following medically assisted reproduction when compared to natural conception. These outcomes highlight the urgent requisition for:
Addressing mental health risks after ART is crucial to improving family well-being and supporting fathers during early parenthood.
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
Postpartum Depression in Fathers Following Medically Assisted Reproduction: A Register-Based Cohort Study
Mette Bliddal et al.
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