Using the theory of planned behavior to predict parents' disclosure of donor conception to their children: a longitudinal study.

STUDY QUESTION: Can the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) help predict heterosexual parents' disclosure of donor conception to their children? SUMMARY ANSWER: Parents with a stronger will to act in accordance with social norms favoring disclosure were more likely to start the disclosure process within the next 5-9 years. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: In contrast to single mothers by choice and same-sex couples, heterosexual couples need to make an active decision to disclose their use of donor conception to their child. While disclosure at an early age is encouraged by international guidelines, many heterosexual-couple parents struggle with this. A previous study has found an association between parental scores of TPB factors and disclosure intention, but so far, no study has applied the TPB to predict parents' disclosure behavior. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The present study is based on the fourth and fifth waves of data collection (T4 and T5) in a nation-wide longitudinal study. Participating parents had conceived through identity-release oocyte donation (n = 68, response rate 65%) and sperm donation (n = 62, response rate 56%) as part of a heterosexual couple. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The present study is part of the prospective longitudinal Swedish Study on Gamete Donation (SSGD). Consecutive recruitment of couples starting oocyte or sperm donation treatment was conducted at all seven fertility clinics providing gamete donation in Sweden during a 3-year period (2005-2008). Participants were requested to complete postal surveys at five time points. The present study includes heterosexual-couple parents following oocyte or sperm donation who participated at the two latest time points when their children were 7-8 years old (T4), and 13-17 years old (T5). At T4, participants completed the study-specific TPB Disclosure Questionnaire (TPB-DQ) measuring attitudes and intentions to disclose the donor conception to the child, and disclosure behavior was assessed at both T4 and T5. Data from those participants who had not yet disclosed at T4 were analyzed using survival analysis with Cox regressions. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Forty participants had not disclosed the donor conception to their children at T4 and, out of these, 13 had still not disclosed at T5. We found a significant association between scores of the TPB factor Subjective norms at T4 and their subsequent disclosure behavior at T5 (HR = 2.019; 95% CI: 1.36-3.01). None of the other factors were significantly associated with disclosure behavior. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The present study concerns heterosexual-couple parents with children conceived following treatment with gametes from open-identity donors, which limits the generalizability of our findings to other groups and contexts. Other limitations include the risk of systematic attrition due to the longitudinal study design and decreased statistical power due to few participants. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our findings highlight the importance of perceived subjective norms for parents' disclosure behavior and indicate that the co-parent's opinion about disclosure is of particular relevance in this regard. Counselors should focus on supporting prospective parents to initiate and maintain a healthy and open dialogue about concerns around building a family with donor conception. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council. The authors have no competing interests to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

The motives and experiences of donor-conceived persons requesting the identity of their sperm donors.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the motives and experiences of donor-conceived persons (DCP) who search for and receive information about their identity-release sperm donor? DESIGN: A qualitative interview study with 29 individuals (21 women, seven men, one non-binary) who were consecutively recruited after having requested information about their sperm donor at five Swedish University hospitals. All participants were conceived after donor insemination to heterosexual couples within an identity-release donation programme. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone between September 2016 and November 2019, and transcribed audio recordings were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The motives and experiences of DCP were described in two themes. The theme 'donor information can fill different needs' describes that varying motives, thoughts and feelings are related to searching for and obtaining donor information. Motives ranged from curiosity and a desire for agency over one's conception to hopes of finding a new father. The theme 'navigating donor information in a relational context' describes the process of obtaining donor information as interpersonal, highlighting that the DCP needs to balance the interests of different stakeholders, and that obtaining donor information can challenge the relationship quality with the father. CONCLUSIONS: Obtaining the donor's identity has the potential to affect the understanding of DCP of themselves, and to influence relationships within their family in unexpected and challenging ways. Therefore, adequate resources should be allocated to support the growing number of families after identity-release donation.

Long-term follow-up of mental health and satisfaction in a Swedish sample of sperm and egg donors after open-identity donation.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How is the mental health of open-identity gamete donors and their satisfaction with their contributions 14-17 years after acceptance as a donor? DESIGN: The Swedish Study on Gamete Donation is a longitudinal study comprising women and men who were accepted as donors at seven Swedish university clinics between 2005 and 2008. The latest (fifth) follow-up included 215 open-identity donors (response rate 87%): 123 oocyte donors and 92 sperm donors. The donors answered a questionnaire regarding their perceptions, experiences and expectations after gamete donation 14-17 years previously. RESULTS: The donors were satisfied with the experience of donating, and no differences were detected between sperm and oocyte donors. Oocyte donors were more than twice as likely to feel that family and friends were proud of their donation compared with sperm donors (51% versus 23%, P < 0.001). In total, six donors regretted their donation: four oocyte donors and two sperm donors. Sperm donors were more frequently satisfied with the financial compensation compared with oocyte donors (P = 0.005). No difference in the development of symptoms of anxiety or depression was detected 14-17 years post-donation. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up studies on donors are important for recruiting donors, and for recipients and the children who will be conceived with donated gametes. The results from the current study indicate that donors, generally, have good mental health and do not regret their decision to donate gametes. These findings are reassuring for all parties involved.

Sense of coherence and health in women: a 25-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Health and Sense of Coherence (SOC) has been shown to be intertwined and argued to have a reciprocal relationship. The theory of SOC implies relatively stable scores during adulthood, however there are few longitudinal studies on the association between SOC and mental and somatic health. The main aim of the present study was to examine how SOC and self-rated health (SRH) are related during 25 years of follow-up. METHODS: Using paper questionnaires distributed by postal services, 415 mothers were followed from childbirth and 25 years prospectively. SOC was measured at three, 12 and 25 years after inclusion. Self-reports on health status were obtained at the 25-year follow-up. The association between SOC and self-reported health as well as the effect of sociodemographic factors and experience of stressful life events was assessed through regression models. RESULTS: SOC scores increased between three and 12 years after inclusion, and slightly decreased at the 25-year follow-up. Women of good health had a higher SOC-score at all three measurements compared to women of poor health. Multiple logistic regression showed that the likelihood of reporting good health increased with the number of times the women had reported SOC-scores above the 75th percentile. Moreover, women who had not been through a divorce were close to 60% more likely to report good health compared to women who had been through a divorce, whereas women not reporting stressful life events during the past two years were more than twice as likely to report good health. Symptoms below cut-off for postpartum depression and not having been through a divorce were associated with SOC scores above the 75th percentile. CONCLUSION: This 25-year follow-up study of a cohort of women reports good stability of SOC assessments in the vast majority of women. There was a stronger and more stable SOC in women with better health. The findings are in line with other studies on the predictive value of SOC and self-perceived health.

Effect of nurse-led telephone follow-up on postoperative symptoms and analgesics consumption after benign hysterectomy: a randomized, single-blinded, four-arm, controlled multicenter trial.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to determine if planned telephone follow-up, especially when adding structured, oriented coaching, reduces the intensity of postoperative symptoms and decreases analgesics consumption after benign hysterectomy. METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded, four-armed, controlled multicenter trial of 525 women scheduled for hysterectomy was conducted in 5 hospitals in the southeast health region of Sweden. The women were allocated 1:1:1:1 into four follow-up models: (A) no telephone follow-up (control group); (B) one planned, structured, telephone follow-up the day after discharge; (C) as B but with additional telephone follow-up once weekly for 6 weeks; and (D) as C but with oriented coaching telephone follow-up on all occasions. Postoperative symptoms were assessed using the Swedish Postoperative Symptoms Questionnaire. Analgesic consumption was registered. Unplanned telephone contacts and visits were registered during the 6 weeks of follow-up. RESULTS: In total, 487 women completed the study. Neither pain intensity, nor symptom sum score or analgesic consumption differed between the intervention groups. Altogether, 224 (46.0%) women had unplanned telephone contacts and 203 (41.7%) had unplanned visits. Independent of intervention, the women with unplanned telephone contacts had higher pain intensity and symptom sum scores, particularly if an unplanned telephone contact was followed by a visit, or an unplanned visit was preceded by an unplanned telephone contact. CONCLUSION: Telephone follow-up did not seem to affect recovery regarding symptoms or analgesic consumption after benign hysterectomy in an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) setting. Unplanned telephone contacts and visits were associated with more postoperative symptoms, especially pain. Trial registration The study is registered in ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT01526668 retrospectively from January 27; 2012. Date of enrolment of first patient: October 11; 2011.

Symptoms of depression and internalizing problems in early adulthood - associated factors from birth to adolescence.

PURPOSE: Even though the mechanisms behind the development of depression and internalizing problems remains unknown, many different factors have been shown to increase the risk. Longitudinal studies enable the investigation of exposure during different developmental periods during childhood. This study aims to examine factors associated with depressive and internalizing problems at age 20 in terms of sociodemographic factors, previous mental health problems and stressful life events during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. METHODS: A birth cohort of 1723 children were followed to age 20. At the 20-year follow-up, n = 731 (44%) participated. Standardized instruments were filled out at baseline and the 3-,12- and 20-year follow-ups. RESULTS: Depressive problems at age 20 were associated with female gender, experience of interpersonal life events reported at age 20, bullying victimization and reports on paternal mental health problems. Participants with depressive problems were also less likely to have experienced adolescence as happy and to report that their father had been a good father. Internalizing problems at age 20 were, in addition, associated with internalizing problems at age 12 and reports on maternal mental health problems. Internalizing problems were associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing adolescence as happy in the final model. CONCLUSION: Recent events (i.e. interpersonal life events and bullying) seemed to be the most influential factors on the development of internalizing and depressive problems. Internalizing problems during childhood increased the risk for internalizing problems in early adulthood, emphasizing the importance of early intervention. Fewer factors were found to increase the risk for depressive problems compared to internalizing problems.

Prenatal stress, anxiety and depression alter transcripts, proteins and pathways associated with immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface†.

During pregnancy, the immune system is modified to allow developmental tolerance of the semi-allogeneic fetus and placenta to term. Pregnant women suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression show dysfunctions of their immune system that may be responsible for fetal and/or newborn disorders, provided that placental gene regulation is compromised. The present study explored the effects of maternal chronic self-perceived stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy on the expression of immune-related genes and pathways in term placenta. Pregnancies were clinically monitored with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A cutoff threshold for BAI/EPDS of 10 divided patients into two groups: Index group (>10, n = 11) and a Control group (<10, n = 11), whose placentae were sampled at delivery. The placental samples were subjected to RNA-Sequencing, demonstrating that stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy induced a major downregulation of placental transcripts related to immune processes such as T-cell regulation, interleukin and cytokine signaling, or innate immune responses. Expression differences of main immune-related genes, such as CD46, CD15, CD8α & ß ILR7α, and CCR4 among others, were found in the Index group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the key immune-like pathway involved in humoral and cellular immunity named "Primary immunodeficiency" was significantly downregulated in the Index group compared with Controls. Our results show that mechanisms ruling immune system functions are compromised at the maternal-fetal interface following self-perceived depressive symptoms and anxiety during pregnancy. These findings may help unveil mechanisms ruling the impact of maternal psychiatric symptoms and lead to new prevention/intervention strategies in complicated pregnancies.

Same-sex mothers' experiences of equal treatment, parenting stress and disclosure to offspring: a population-based study of parenthood following identity-release sperm donation.

STUDY QUESTION: What are the experiences of same-sex mothers following identity-release sperm donation regarding equal treatment in society, parenting stress and disclosure to child? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mothers predominantly reported equal treatment in society, low levels of parenting stress and early disclosure of the donor conception to the child, and half of the couples had also informed the child of his/her right to obtain the donor's identity. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The number of two-mother families is increasing, and previous studies have reported about challenges related to heteronormativity, discrimination and the status of the non-birth mother. Same-sex mothers have been found to disclose the child's donor conception earlier than different-sex parents, but little is known regarding disclosure of the child's right to obtain identifying information about the donor. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The present study concerns the fourth wave of data collection of a nation-wide longitudinal study. A total of 143 same-sex mothers (73% response rate) following identity-release sperm donation completed individual surveys when their donor-conceived child had reached age 7. These women represent a total of 82 couples who had undergone sperm donation treatment. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The study is part of the longitudinal Swedish Study on Gamete Donation (SSGD). Couples accepted for gamete donation treatment at seven Swedish University hospitals were recruited between 2005 and 2008 and were requested to complete postal surveys during four waves of data collection. The present study sample includes same-sex mothers who completed a survey when their donor-conceived child had reached 7 years of age. Data were collected with the Swedish Parenting Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ), and study-specific items on experiences of treatment in society and disclosure behavior. Group comparisons (birth mothers vs non-birth mothers) were conducted using Chi2-tests, independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests, and written comments provided for open-response items were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND ROLE OF CHANCE: The mothers were generally open about the child's donor conception and the large majority (>80%) reported being treated positively and in the same way as other parents. However, satisfaction with treatment in health care settings was significantly lower than that reported in contacts with the child's school and recreational activities (P < 0.001) and open-response comments indicate that this may be related predominantly to heteronormative language and assumptions. Birth mothers and non-birth mothers reported similar treatment in society and similar levels of parenting stress. All but one couple had already talked with their 7-year-old child about his/her conception with donor sperm. Half of the couples had also informed the child about his/her opportunity to obtain identifying information about the donor, and remaining couples planned later disclosure. Children's reactions were generally described as neutral, positive or characterized by interest and curiosity. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The present study was performed within the context of the Swedish legislation on identity-release donation, which limits the generalizability to same-sex couples using anonymous or known sperm donors. Although no evidence of attrition bias was found, it is possible that those couples who initially declined participation in the SSGD (23%) or dropped out at the fourth wave of data collection (27%) differ from the study sample in terms of variables that we were unable to control for. WIDER IMPLICATION OF THE FINDINGS: The present finding that most same-sex mothers in a population-based sample experience equal treatment in society is encouraging and validates previous results from predominantly qualitative studies. Nevertheless, the fact that a subgroup experiences discrimination and less favorable treatment indicates that further action is needed, particularly in child health care settings. The present study is the first to report on the timing of parents' disclosure of the child's right to identifying donor information and suggests that disclosure during preschool ages is feasible and does not appear to be related to negative consequences. In view of the increased availability and use of identity-release donation, there is a pressing need to investigate parents' intentions, behaviors and needs with regard to talking with their child about his/her opportunity to obtain the donor's identity. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): Financial support from the Swedish Research Council (2013-2712) and the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (2014-00876). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

National survey of donor-conceived individuals who requested information about their sperm donor-experiences from 17 years of identity releases in Sweden.

STUDY QUESTION: What characterizes the group of donor-conceived (DC) individuals who request information about their identity-release sperm donor in Sweden, and what are their experiences of disclosure, information receipt and donor contact? SUMMARY ANSWER: Following three decades of identity-release donation in Sweden, few DC individuals have requested donor information with varying experiences of information receipt and donor contact. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: In 1985, Sweden was the first country worldwide to enact legislation that gave DC individuals the right to obtain identifying information about their donor. Since then, identity-release gamete donation has become available in many countries but there is limited knowledge about the individuals who request donor information. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A nation-wide cross-sectional survey study was performed at all seven University hospitals that provided donation treatment in Sweden during 1985-2002. During this period only donor insemination to heterosexual couples was permitted. Inclusion criteria were being 18 years of age or older, conceived with donor sperm and having requested information about the donor by December 2020. Recruitment was performed during 2016-2020. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A total of 60 individuals had requested information about their donor. Of these, 53 were approached and 40 individuals, representing 34 families, accepted study participation (75% response rate). Participants completed a postal survey with the WHO-10 well-being index and study-specific questions about experiences of disclosure, motivations for requesting donor information, receipt of information, as well as intentions and experiences of donor contact. Independent t-test and chi-square tests were used to compare ratings of participants with early and late disclosure. MAIN RESULTS AND ROLE OF CHANCE: Of ∼900 DC individuals who had reached adult age, a total of 60 (≈7%) had requested information about the donor. Most of the 40 study participants (78%) made their requests within 2 years after reaching 18 years of age, or following disclosure at later ages (up to 32 years). Several participants had adult DC siblings in the family who had not requested any donor information. All except five participants received identifying information about the donor from the clinic. However, some donors had died or lacked contact information. Among those participants who were able to contact their donor, 41% had done so at the time of the study, while a third of the participants were unsure about potential contact. Several had met the donor in person and a few were in regular contact. About half of the participants had been informed about their donor conception in adolescence or adulthood (age 12-32), and there were significant differences between participants based on age at disclosure. Compared to those with early disclosure, participants with late disclosure were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with the timing of their disclosure (P = 0.021), to react with negative emotions (P < 0.001), and to subsequently contact the donor (P = 0.047). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The limited population available for inclusion resulted in a small sample size, despite a high response rate. In addition, men's lower participation rate must be taken into consideration when interpreting the results. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The small number of individuals requesting information about their identity-release sperm donor is surprising. While not all DC individuals appear to be interested in donor information, it is reasonable to assume that some are unaware of their donor conception and thus unable to make informed decisions regarding their genetic origins. During the coming years, young women and men in many countries will become eligible to access identifying information about their donor. In order to meet the needs of these individuals, and to support positive outcomes for all involved parties, it is essential that adequate protocols and resources are developed. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST: Financial support from The Swedish Research Council. There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Psychological adjustment in disclosing and non-disclosing heterosexual-couple families following conception with oocytes or spermatozoa from identity-release donors.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there a relationship between disclosure and psychological adjustment in heterosexual-couple families following oocyte donation and sperm donation when the child is 7 years old? DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of heterosexual couples with 7- to 8-year-old children conceived with identity-release oocyte donation (n = 83, response rate 56%) or sperm donation (n = 113, response rate 65%). Participants individually completed instruments for the assessment of parents' emotional distress (HADS), parenting stress (SPSQ) and relationship quality (ENRICH), and their child's psychological adjustment (SDQ-Swe) and reported whether they had talked with their child about their donor conception. RESULTS: About half of parents had talked with their child about their donor conception (oocyte donation 61%, sperm donation 58%). Separate analyses for mothers and fathers showed no main effects of disclosure or type of donation on the outcomes, nor were there any interaction effects. Overall, mothers and fathers in oocyte donation and sperm donation families were found to be well adjusted, reporting within-normal range levels of anxiety, depression and parental stress, and a high relationship quality. The children were well adjusted, with low levels of emotional and behavioural problems. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the present results confirm previous research indicating that early disclosure of the donor conception to children is not associated with negative outcomes for parents or children. Heterosexual couples using oocyte or sperm donation should be informed that disclosure when the child is 7-8 years old is not detrimental to the psychological adjustment of families.

Maternal advanced age, single parenthood, and ART increase the risk of child morbidity up to five years of age.

BACKGROUND: Advanced maternal age, single status and use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are increasing in mothers in high-income countries, and all are known risk factors for negative obstetric outcomes. Less is known about their long-term consequences for childhood morbidity. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate morbidity up to five years of age, in the children of older, single, and/or ART-treated mothers. METHODS: A cross-sectional using Swedish registers was performed comprising 23 772 children. The prevalence of diagnosis and the number of hospital visits for specialist care, were compared and analyzed in relation to maternal age at childbirth, maternal civil status, and mode of conception. The odds ratio for specialized care within each ICD-chapter were estimated using single and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Children born to single mothers and children conceived using ART had significantly more outpatient visits for specialist care and significantly more diagnoses compared to children with married/cohabiting mothers, and spontaneously conceived children. Children born to mothers of advanced maternal age (≥40) had fewer in- and outpatient visits. However, they were significantly more often diagnosed within ICD-chapters XVI, XVII i.e., they experienced more morbidity in the neonatal period. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that children born to single mothers and children of ART-treated mothers have a higher morbidity and consume more specialist care than children of married/cohabiting and spontaneously pregnant mothers. We conclude that the use of ART, maternal single status and advanced maternal age are risk factors of importance to consider in pediatric care and when counseling women who are considering ART treatment.

Understanding parents' intention to disclose the donor conception to their child by application of the theory of planned behaviour.

STUDY QUESTION: Does the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) contribute to understanding parents' intention to share information about genetic origin with their donor-conceived child? SUMMARY ANSWER: Parents' intention to start disclosure was associated with beliefs that disclosure would have desired consequences and a desire to act in accordance to societal norms. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Despite a growing consensus on donor-conceived offspring's right to information about their genetic origin, disclosure to the child remains a challenge for many parents, particularly heterosexual couples. TPB has successfully been applied to many health-related contexts and may contribute to increase understanding of parents' decision-making about disclosing the genetic origin to their children. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A cross-sectional survey study of heterosexual couples with children aged 7-8 years following identity-release oocyte donation (OD, n = 83) or sperm donation (SD, n = 113). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The study is part of the prospective longitudinal Swedish Study on Gamete Donation. Couples accepted for oocyte or sperm donation treatment at seven fertility clinics were recruited in 2005-2008 and requested to complete four postal surveys in the following 10 years. The present study sample includes heterosexual couples with donor-conceived children aged 7-8 years. Data were collected with the study-specific TPB Disclosure Questionnaire and analysed with path analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: More than half of parents following OD or SD had already disclosed the donor conception to their child (OD 61%, SD 58%). Among parents who had not yet started the disclosure process, the belief that disclosure would have desired consequences (P < 0.05) and a desire to act in accordance to social norms favouring disclosure (P < 0.01) were positively associated with their intention to talk with their child about the donor conception during the upcoming year. In contrast, perceived confidence to talk with the child about his/her genetic origin was found to be negatively associated with the intention to start the disclosure process (P < 0.05). Type of treatment (OD/SD) and the existence or absence of a genetic link to the child were not directly associated with parents' disclosure intentions. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study was performed with heterosexual couples within the context of the Swedish legislation on identity-release donation, which limits the generalizability to other populations. Also, attrition may have introduced selection bias to the study findings. Future studies using the TPB Disclosure Questionnaire (TPB-DQ) with larger samples are needed to validate this measure. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Application of the theory of planned behaviour highlighted the importance of attitudes and social norms for parents' intention to share information about the donor conception with their child. The present results add to the complexity of disclosure of donor conception, and may contribute to promote open communication and support family life following donor conception. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): Financial support from the Swedish Research Council. There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Positioning the donor in a new landscape-mothers' and fathers' experiences as their adult children obtained information about the identity-release sperm donor.

STUDY QUESTION: How do heterosexual parents experience identity-release donation when adult children have obtained information about their sperm donor? SUMMARY ANSWER: Adult offspring's receipt of identifying information about the sperm donor challenged the fathers' role as a parent, which was reflected in how parents positioned the donor in relation to the family. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: An increasing number of countries provide access to treatment with identity-release or 'open-identity' donors. However, there is limited knowledge about how parents experience and manage the situation when adult offspring obtain identifying information about the donor and may even establish contact with him. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This qualitative interview study included 23 parents whose offspring had obtained information about their sperm donor. Interviews were conducted from October 2018 to January 2019. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A purposive sample of parents (15 mothers and 8 fathers) was recruited via adult offspring, who had requested identifying donor information at five Swedish University hospitals. All participating parents were part of a heterosexual couple who had conceived with sperm from an identity-release donor. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to face or via telephone, and transcribed audio recordings were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The parents expressed diverse experiences related to their parenthood and the presence of the donor after offspring had obtained information about him; these were described in two themes. The theme 'Navigating (in)visible markers of parenthood' describes parenthood as embedded with dichotomous meanings of nature and nurture that parents navigated in relation to social approval. The theme 'Positioning the donor in a new landscape' describes how parents managed the presence of the donor by positioning him at a distance or acknowledging him as a person or even as part of the family, while some struggled to position him, giving rise to ambivalent feelings. The absence of genetic connectedness challenged the father's role as parent, which was reflected in parents' positioning of the donor. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study was performed within the context of the Swedish legislation on identity-release donation and is based on experiences of heterosexual couples who had used sperm donation and had informed their offspring about their donor conception. This, together with the fact that parents' accounts were predominantly represented by mothers, must be taken into consideration regarding transferability to other populations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Negotiations of social and genetic parenthood are still present among parents many years after treatment and may resurface when adult offspring obtain the donor's identity. Access of the adult offspring to identifying information about the donor may have unexpected consequences for family relations, including expanding the family to include the donor. Challenges related to male infertility and family dynamics indicate that parents should have access to counseling and support to manage family life with varying genetic linkage within and outside the family unit. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): Financial support was from The Swedish Research Council (Grant 2013-2712). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Mental disorders and risk factors among pregnant women with depressive symptoms in Sweden-A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Identification of pregnant women suffering from depression or other mental disorders is a challenge for antenatal caregivers. The purpose of this case-control study was to describe mental disorders and the risk factors for mental disorders in women with depressive symptoms assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the first trimester and to compare them with pregnant women without depressive symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total, 2271 women answered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at the first antenatal visit with a midwife. An Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score of 13 or higher was considered to be screen-positive and these women were further assessed. Screen-negative pregnant women, matched for age and parity, were chosen as controls. RESULTS: In total, 149 (6.6%) women were found to be screen-positive. The majority (126, 85%) had at least one mental disorder or risk factor for mental disorder, such as depression (36.0%), anxiety (14.8%), or severe fear of childbirth (20.8%). The screen-positive women were more often smokers (16.1% vs 1.3%), unemployed (19.9% vs 1.3%), or on sick leave (25.3% vs 14.1%) during pregnancy and more often used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor during pregnancy (14.2% vs 2.7%) compared with the screen-negative women (P<.001). Among the screen-negative women (n = 150) only three (2%) presented with symptoms of depression during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale seems to be a valuable screening tool to detect depressive symptoms as well as other mental disorders during early pregnancy.

Mental health and academic performance: a study on selection and causation effects from childhood to early adulthood.

PURPOSE: An inverse relationship between mental health and academic achievement is a well-known phenomenon in the scientific literature. However, how and when this association develops is not fully understood and there is a lack of longitudinal, population-based studies on young children. Early intervention is important if associations are to be found already during childhood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the development of the association between mental health and academic performance during different developmental periods of childhood and adolescence. METHODS: Data from a longitudinal birth cohort study of 1700 children were used. Child mental health was assessed through mother's reports at age 3, and self-reports at age 12 and 20. Academic performance was assessed through teacher reports on educational results at age 12 and final grades from compulsory school (age 15-16) and upper secondary school (age 18-19). The association between mental health and academic performance was assessed through regression models. RESULTS: The results indicate that social selection mechanisms are present in all three periods studied. Behavioral and emotional problems at age 3 were associated with performing below grade at age 12. Similarly, mental health problems at age 12 were associated with lack of complete final grades from compulsory school and non-eligibility to higher education. Academic performance at ages 15 and 19 did not increase the risk for mental health problems at age 20. CONCLUSION: Mental health problems in early childhood and adolescence increase the risk for poor academic performance, indicating the need for awareness and treatment to provide fair opportunities to education.

Birth characteristics in men with infertility.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Are low birth weight, prematurity, being born small for gestational age, or both, associated with a higher risk of male factor infertility in adulthood? DESIGN: Retrospective study of a clinical sample of 892 men, diagnosed with an infertility factor (male, female, combined or unexplained) together with their female partner at a University Hospital clinic in Sweden between 2005 and 2010. Data on birth weight and gestational age at birth were retrieved from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. The distribution of non-optimal birth characteristics in relation to infertility factor was described. A control group was created consisting of two men for each index man, born in Sweden in the same year as each index men, as well as a reference group consisting of all men born in Sweden the same years. RESULTS: The likelihood of having been born small for gestational age was almost fivefold higher in men with male factor infertility than in men with unexplained infertility (OR 4.84, 95% CI 1.32 to 17.80). Men with male factor infertility were more often born with non-optimal birth characteristics than the control group (14.8% versus 8.5%; P = 0.010) and the reference group (14.8% versus 11.4%; P < 0.001). Men with azoospermia were more often born with non-optimal birth characteristics, compared with men without azoospermia (21.3% versus 12.1%; P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest an association between intrauterine growth restriction and male factor infertility in adulthood.

Risk factors during pregnancy and delivery for the development of Perthes' disease, a nationwide Swedish study of 2.1 million individuals.

BACKGROUND: To ascertain or disprove a correlation between suboptimal birth characteristics, breech position at delivery and development of Perthes' disease. METHODS: Study material was collected from nationwide registers regarding diagnoses, birth statistics and delivery data. As study population were included children with a diagnosis code for Perthes' disease who were alive and living in Sweden at age 13. Children with missing birth statistics were excluded. All children with no Perthes' disease diagnosis were used as control group. Both single and multiple logistical regression analyses were used to calculate OR for the included characteristics. RESULTS: Children in breech position had a higher risk for developing Perthes' disease. Children with Perthes' disease had also a higher probability of having been born pre-term, very pre-term or post-term. Lower than normal birth weight and a lower Apgar-score were also associated with Perthes' disease. CONCLUSIONS: There is a correlation between breech birth and development of Perthes' disease. There is also correlation to suboptimal birth characteristics. Despite our findings this should not be used for screening of Perthes' disease as the percentage of children who actually develop it is very low. Also, as of yet there is no possibility to diagnose Perthes' disease before the presence of skeletal changes. Our findings could be important in finding the cause of Perthes' disease and therefore developing better diagnostics, treatment and prevention.

Self-reported mental health and cortisol activity at 27-28 years of age in individuals born with very low birthweight.

AIM: To assess mental health outcomes of very low birthweight (VLBW, <1500 g) subjects to adulthood and to examine salivary cortisol and hair cortisol levels and their relation to birth characteristics and mental health. METHODS: A Swedish regional cohort of 56 VLBW subjects and 55 full-term controls were assessed at the ages 27-28 with adult self-reported scales and the mean of 2 days diurnal salivary cortisol and hair cortisol. The cohorts had been assessed at 15 years of age with youth self-reported scales. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups in youth self-reported scales and adult self-reported scores. The 24 participating VLBW girls scored lower on youth self-reported scales externalising and total problem scores than the control girls. In adulthood, the 21 participating VLBW women had significantly higher morning concentrations of salivary cortisol than control women, P = .014. No significant associations were found between cortisol concentrations and adult self-reported scales internalising, externalising and total scores. CONCLUSION: Self-reported mental health in VLBW subjects was comparable with normal birthweight controls indicating a satisfying transition from adolescence to adulthood. VLBW females had higher morning salivary cortisol concentrations, suggesting a gender difference. We found no correlations between cortisol and mental health.

Mental health in young mothers, single mothers and their children.

BACKGROUND: Parenthood is a life transition that can be especially demanding for vulnerable individuals. Young maternal age and maternal single status have been reported to increase the risk for adverse outcomes for both mother and child. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of young maternal age and maternal single status on maternal and child mental health and child development at age 3. METHODS: A birth-cohort of 1723 mothers and their children were followed from birth to age 3. Sixty-one mothers (3.5%) were age 20 or younger, and 65 (4.0%) reported single status at childbirth. The mothers filled out standardized instruments and medical information was retrieved from the standardized clinical assessment of the children at Child Welfare Centers, (CWC). RESULTS: Young maternal age was associated with symptoms of postpartum depression whereas single status was not. Young mothers were more prone to report internalizing and externalizing problems in their children, while there was no association between single status and child behavioral problems. No differences were seen on child development (CWC scores). School drop-out was, however, a more influential factor on depressive symptoms postpartum than maternal age. CONCLUSION: Young mothers are at increased risk for symptoms of postpartum depression which indicates the need for attention in pre- and postnatal health care programs. Single mothers and their children were not found to be at increased risk for adverse outcomes. The importance of schooling was demonstrated, indicating the need for societal support to encourage adolescents to remain in school.

Cross-border surrogacy: Experiences of heterosexual and gay parents in Sweden.

INTRODUCTION: Surrogacy is a controversial method of assisted reproduction that is not permitted in many countries. While there is some evidence that families following surrogacy seem to fare well, there is limited knowledge about the experiences of parents who turn to cross-border surrogacy. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the experiences of heterosexual parents and gay fathers who chose cross-border surrogacy to have a child. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional survey describes the experiences of 30 families (18 heterosexual parent and 12 gay father families). Participants were recruited through a website for a Swedish surrogacy interest group. The participants were requested individually to complete a postal questionnaire including study-specific questions on their experiences of disclosure and the Swedish Parenting Stress Questionnaire. RESULTS: All couples but one were still living together and had a child (3 months to 5 years). Parenting stress levels were generally low and were not related to sexual orientation. While almost all parents were open about the child's mode of conception in contacts with health care, gay fathers were significantly more open about using surrogacy in contacts with preschool (P = 0.004) and child recreational activities (P = 0.005) compared with heterosexual parents. A majority described being treated positively or "as any other parent" in these contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Heterosexual and gay parents reported low levels of parenting stress and generally experienced positive or neutral reactions to their parenthood in contacts with healthcare providers, in preschool, and in the child's recreational activities.