On Maternal Attitude toward Young Children Conceived through in Vitro Fertilization

We present the results of a comparative study of maternal attitudes towards young children (11-37 months) in 135 dyads (cases of spontaneous conception) and 135 dyads (children conceived through in vitro fertilization - IVF). Data were collected in 2011-2012 in Center for Family Planning and Reproduction, Moscow, using the following techniques: questionnaire for mothers by M.E. Lantsburg, technique "Parental estimates of children" (M.E. Lantsburg modification of Dembo-Rubinstein techniques), medical history data. It has been shown that women who conceive through IVF, compared with those who conceived spontaneously, more often ignore the baby movements during pregnancy, and child birth often has a significant impact on the change in their lives. The mothers who conceived spontaneously have more realistic expectations about the actual possibilities and abilities of their children; mothers who conceived through IVF, often place inappropriate to their age requirements to the children and have higher expectations of their children.