This collective-case study investigated marital relationship during pregnancy, in three couples who conceived through assisted reproduction techniques. The data, derived from individual semi-structured interviews, were submitted to a qualitative content analysis, based on three categories: cohesion, sexuality and communication, during treatment and pregnancy. The treatment was a source of potential difficulties in the three categories. During pregnancy, some difficulties remained, especially in couples' sexuality, but there was an increase in cohesion and a reduction in conflicts. An interaction of the three dimensions was identified, so that one dimension could either compensate difficulties in the other dimensions or contribute to their functioning. The importance of investigating different dimensions of the marital relationship in studies with couples is highlighted.
Pregnancy; assisted reproduction; marital relations