Prenatal affective bond: a longitudinal study in women who achieved pregnancy through assisted reproduction

Abstract

The prenatal maternal affective bond can be understood as the emotional relationship that a pregnant woman establishes with her unborn child. This prenatal relationship develops gradually during the entire pregnancy. To study the prenatal maternal affective bond, and the variables involved therein, over the entire gestation for women who achieved pregnancy through assisted reproduction techniques (ART). We conducted a longitudinal study in which we evaluated 49 women at the three gestational trimesters: after the ultrasound confirmation of heart beat (from the 6th – 7th week of pregnancy), around the 20th week of gestation, and as of week 34. This study reflects, among other issues, that the prenatal maternal affective bond is very high from the beginning of pregnancy and increases trimester-by-trimester, showing very high levels at the end of the pregnancy. While the small number of participants has limited the statistical power, the data obtained are a first approximation to the studied reality that allows us to identify variables on which to continue working in future studies.