Increased psychological trauma and decreased desire to have children after a complicated pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: Information about fertility desire and psychological sequelae after high-risk pregnancies are scarce in the literature. The aim of the present study is to investigate the psychological effects of high-risk pregnancies. Material and Methods: The patients who had a history of severe preeclampsia, eclampsia or major hemorrhage during the peripartum period were enrolled as the study group and compared with the control subjects with respect to fear about new pregnancy, anxiety/depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores. The study was carried out by submitting a questionnaire form to the participants. Numbers of planned children before and after the last delivery were evaluated in both groups. Results: Fear about a new pregnancy was found to be significantly higher in the study group compared with the controls. There were no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety and depression. In terms of re-experience and avoidance in PTSD was significantly higher in the study group, however no significant difference was found for hyper-arousal. Conclusion: Fear regarding new pregnancy is high and planning more children is decreased after high-risk pregnancies and PTSD symptom scores were higher after high-risk pregnancies.