ReviewBMC pregnancy and childbirth2023
Parents' experiences of life after medicalised conception: a thematic meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature.
Review in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- The breastfeeding experience of women with multiple pregnancies: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- The Lived Experience of Couples Undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation in Greece: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Life after medicalised conception: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study exploring the experiences of pregnancy and transition to parenthood.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Assisted reproductive technologies could be associated with higher risk of parenting difficulties in women with postpartum major depression.Archives of women's mental health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedicalised Conception (MAC) assists many couples to achieve pregnancy worldwide. As the impact of MAC has been linked to increased pregnancy-specific anxiety and parenting difficulties, this review aimed to explore parental experiences of pregnancy and early parenting following MAC, identifying parents' psychological, social and health needs.
methodFive databases were searched systematically from inception to March 2023. Identified articles were screened for eligibility against the inclusion criteria and the results were analysed using thematic synthesis. The Critical Appraisal Skills checklist was employed to appraise methodological quality.
resultsTwenty qualitative studies, drawing on a total of 19 participant samples, were included in this review, most with samples with history of subfertility. The findings were synthesised into three main themes (consisting of seven subthemes): 1) The vulnerable parent: fear, doubt, uncertainty, 2) the stark realisation of the parental dream, 3) psychosocial needs and support. Parents lacked a sense of safety during pregnancy and reported acting protectively both antenatally and postnatally. Furthermore, their identity transition was complex and non-linear, influenced by sociocultural context.
conclusionsConsiderable unmet psychosocial needs were identified including the potential for anxiety in pregnancy, the possibility of feeling excluded and marginalised, and a reluctance to share distress and experiences with healthcare professionals. These findings suggest a need for consistent, holistic care, integrating psychological services.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.