Table 3. Psychosocial Impact of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) on the Children Born and their Development.
Author, year country Questions/groups analyzed Main findings
Zweifel, 2015 Analyze the impact of using donor gametes on child well-being Children born after heterologous treatments show similar emotional and psychosocial development to naturally conceived ones. Children vary in their desire to know more about their conception and generally accept their parents' decision to use donor gametes.
Gibson et al., 2002 Australia Analyze and compare the behavior of children, parental stress, and family attitudes in families conceiving through ICSI, IVF, and naturally Mothers using ICSI and IVF express more protective attitudes, with more concerns about child behavior among those using IVF. However, no differences were observed in the behavior of children in these groups compared to naturally conceived ones.
Carneiro et al., 2022 Evaluate the psychological adjustment of children born through ART No substantial differences were found between children born through ART (including different treatment types) and naturally conceived ones, both in internalizing and externalizing problems.
Zadeh et al., 2018 United Kingdom Analyze the perspectives of adolescents conceived through surrogacy or gamete donation about their conception Most adolescents feel indifferent about their conception but also show interest in the third party involved (gestational carrier or donor).
Golombok et al., 2002 Europe Analyze the transition to adolescence in children born through ART Children showed equal levels of development and psychological adjustment.
Jadva & Imrie, 2023 United Kingdom Study the thoughts and feelings of young adults born through heterologous treatments 40% of young adults feel special about their mode of conception, while the rest are neutral or unconcerned. Most do not frequently discuss the issue, but when they do, they do not encounter problems or constraints.