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Psychological and Ethical Challenges in Pregnancy after ART

Precongress Course 4


SIG Ethics and Law SIG Global and Sociocultural-Aspects of Infertility SIG Psychology and Counselling   Special Interest Groups Ethics and Law, Global and Socio cultural Aspects of Infertility and Psychology Counselling 

  

Course coordinators
Mariana Moura Ramos (Portugal), Verena Ehrbar (Switzerland), Nicola Williams (United Kingdom), Seppe Segers (Belgium), Pedro Brandao (Portugal)


Course type
Advanced


Course description
Pregnancy after ART can bring joy and relief alongside anxiety, ambivalence, and vulnerability, creating ongoing psychological and ethical challenges. This course integrates psychological and bioethical perspectives on psychosocial adjustment, pregnancy loss, third-party conception, surrogacy, infertility-related trauma and psychiatric comorbidity. Designed for reproductive health professionals, it develops practical counselling skills and ethical competencies in autonomy, informed consent, reproductive justice, relational decision-making, and moral emotions. An interdisciplinary approach supports compassionate, evidence-informed, and ethically grounded care throughout pregnancy after ART.


Educational needs and expected outcomes 
ART pregnancies can involve heightened anxiety, distress, uncertainty, and difficulties with psychological adjustment, particularly following pregnancy loss, third-party reproduction, or infertility-related trauma. They also raise ethical concerns around vulnerability, autonomy, informed decision-making, reproductive justice, and professional responsibilities. Healthcare professionals need training in psychosocial assessment, trauma-informed care, ethical reflection, and patient-centred decision-making.

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Describe key psychological and psychiatric challenges associated with pregnancy after ART, including anxiety, trauma, pregnancy loss, treatment failure, and advanced maternal age.
  • Apply evidence-based, trauma-informed counselling approaches to complex ART pregnancies, including third-party reproduction and pregnancy loss.
  • Analyse ethical issues in ART pregnancy, including vulnerability, relational autonomy, informed consent, reproductive justice, and shared decision-making. 
  • Integrate psychological evidence and bioethical frameworks into patient-centred, ethically informed clinical practice.

 

Innovative aspects of the course
This course addresses an under-recognised gap in reproductive medicine: Patients may experience ongoing distress, uncertainty, and vulnerability requiring specialised support. Its innovative approach integrates psychology and bioethics, examining their interaction throughout pregnancy after ART. Participants address psychological and psychiatric impacts alongside ethical issues including vulnerability, relational autonomy, informed consent, reproductive justice, and professional responsibilities.


Target audience
Psychologists, counsellors, physicians and other health professionals involved in assisted reproduction

 

Programme



Sunday 04 July 2027