Pregnancy: Those who suffer from anxiety are more likely to have premature births, says study
Created: 10/10/2022, 2:00 p.m
By: Jasmine Farah
Anyone who is pregnant should relax.
That's what gynecologists recommend.
A new study shows that they are not wrong and that stress is harmful.
Pain during childbirth, worries that the child will be healthy or severe discomfort during pregnancy: For some women, this most beautiful time in life is frightening.
Suddenly there are so many things to think about and worry about, especially for women who are pregnant for the first time.
Some are also afraid of what comes next: Am I a good mother too?
This in turn creates fears of failure.
Pregnancy: Those who suffer from anxiety are more likely to have premature births, says study
Gynecologists advise pregnant women to relax and reduce stress.
After all, it is better for the child.
This assumption is now supported by a prospective observational study by US researchers.
Accordingly, she has shown that women who suffer from anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to their children earlier.
The scientists led by study leader Christine Dunkel Schetter from the University of California have published their results in the journal
Health Psychology
.
Some pregnant women struggle with worry and anxiety.
© Ute Grabowsky/Imago
To do this, as part of the "Healthy Babies Before Birth" study, they examined around 196 participants, who they subjected to three tests that were specially developed for anxiety disorders in pregnancy.
The background to the study is that previous studies had shown that a quarter of women in late pregnancy suffered from anxiety.
This is reported by the
medical journal.
15 percent of them are even said to have developed a full-blown anxiety disorder.
But this leads to a significant stress reaction in the body, which can have a negative impact on the unborn child.
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Pregnancy: Anxiety disorders harder to treat
However, anxiety disorders are difficult to treat during pregnancy.
Cognitive behavioral therapies are usually long-term and take a lot of time, which pregnant women don't have.
However, many medications, including strong psychotropic drugs, are not recommended during this time.
Therefore, taking it should always be discussed in advance with the doctor treating you.
On the other hand, it often helps to take the fears and worries of the pregnant woman seriously and to provide them with basic information about the causes and consequences.
That would be a first step to mentally support them in this sensitive phase of their lives.
