Prenatal Coparenting Alliance and Marital Satisfaction When Pregnancy Occurs After Assisted Reproductive Technologies or Spontaneously

Abstract

Although the coparenting relationship has been described as key in family dynamics, very few studies have assessed its development during pregnancy after assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this study, the authors compared the prenatal coparenting relationship in 33 couples who conceived through ART with that of 49 couples who conceived spontaneously, and assessed the association between marital satisfaction and the prenatal coparenting alliance. The first‐time parents were met during the second trimester of pregnancy. A validated observational task (the Prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play) was used to assess their prenatal coparenting relationship, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to evaluate marital satisfaction. No differences were observed in the two groups' global prenatal coparenting scores, but the ART couples showed less coparental playfulness than those who conceived spontaneously. Marital satisfaction was higher in women who conceived through ART. These data suggest that infertility and its treatment affect the prenatal coparenting and marital relationships in different ways.

The Role of Father Involvement and Marital Satisfaction in the Development of Family Interactive Abilities: A Multilevel Approach

“…On one side, studies (Favez et al, 2006a, 2013) reported the absence of a link between marital satisfaction and the quality of family interactions. On another side, an association has been detected between marital satisfaction in the prenatal period and the evolution of family interactions over the first 18 months of child’s life (Favez et al, 2006b; Darwiche et al, 2015), with high marital satisfaction predicting a decreasing pattern of family interactions. A negative correlation was also reported by a study conducted in 2011 (Favez et al, 2011), indicating that higher levels of marital satisfaction are associated with a lower quality of family interactions, in accordance with a new conceptualization of the decrease of marital satisfaction as a necessary and adaptive process for the transition from the dyadic system to the establishment of triadic family interactions.…”

Parental Relationship with Twins from Pregnancy to 3 Months: The Relation Among Parenting Stress, Infant Temperament, and Well-Being

“…After birth, relationship satisfaction declines, starting during the last trimester of pregnancy and continuing until the postpartum period ( Lawrence et al, 2008 ). The decline in relationship satisfaction could be due to the changes that occur during the transition to parenthood (e.g., Darwiche et al, 2015 ), for example, the decrease in time spent together; the decrease in affectional feelings; the decrease in time given to communication and discussion; interference with sexual habits and therefore with intimacy; and the division of roles between housework and child care ( Belsky, 1985 ; Belsky and Isabella, 1985 ; Belsky et al, 1985 ; Belsky and Rovine, 1990 ; Cobb et al, 2008 ; Velotti et al, 2011 ). Garbarini et al (2014) have adapted the Dyadic Adjustment Scale ( Spanier, 1979 ) to the Italian context.…”

Prenatal Intuitive Coparenting Behaviors

“…Other studies have also used the Prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play procedure. One showed that the mode of conception (assisted reproductive technology or spontaneous pregnancy) in a sample of 82 couples did not affect the quality of prenatal intuitive parenting (Darwiche et al, 2015). Another study, with a sample of 182 expectant parents, found less frequent intuitive parenting behaviors in fathers compared to mothers, but a moderate positive association between fathers’ and mothers’ intuitive parenting behaviors (Schoppe-Sullivan et al, 2014).…”