News For Most Women, Pregnancy Doesn’t Make Ptsd Worse

[anthony]

Even for healthy women, pregnancy can be an intensely emotional experience. Researchers wondered how being pregnant would effect women who have lived through something awful enough to cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Contrary to what they expected, a new study shows that for the majority of women, pregnancy may actually reduce PTSD symptoms—or at least not cause a flare-up.

But for about one in four women with PTSD, the opposite is true. Not only do their symptoms get worse as their pregnancy advances, but their ability to bond with their newborn suffers and they face a high risk of postpartum depression.

Of the 319 women in the study, more than half had high PTSD symptoms in the first part of pregnancy. All of the women in this group experienced a decrease in symptoms as they got closer to giving birth. Women who had low levels of symptoms early on stayed about the same.

But for women who suffered a new stress or trauma during pregnancy, or who had the most anxiety about giving birth, symptoms got worse both during pregnancy and after birth.

http://www.futurity.org/pregnancy-ptsd-1104042-2/

 

[RussH]

Did the report give any statistics on how many of the women that suffered negative PTSD effects from pregnancy had sexual abuse as their trauma?

 

[Ed Norton]

@RussH you would have to obtain the primary literature report for those specifics concerning protocol and criteria.

 

[anthony]

Will get back to you on that one...

 

[Fadeaway]

But for women who suffered a new stress or trauma during pregnancy, or who had the most anxiety about giving birth, symptoms got worse both during pregnancy and after birth.

I can certainly attest to this part. Traumas that happened to me during pregnancy and birth had a far greatter impact on me than larger traumas that happened outside of pregnancy.

 

[anthony]

Did the report give any statistics on how many of the women that suffered negative PTSD effects from pregn...

Ok, they didn't go specifically into trauma types, but instead three categories which comprised - child abuse, adult abuse and non-abuse trauma. Based on the categorisation they have, the first two are stating some type of interpersonal trauma, where the third is general trauma, MVA, war, accidents, natural disasters and such. The first two categories seem quite clear though that interpersonal is the theme, just not sure to what extent that is.

 

[RussH]

thanks.

 

[Panda Bear]

Guess I was one of the lucky ones who fell into the "one in four" category.

Bottom line, I think providers need to better understand PTSD and its effect on women during pregnancy and postpartum. Three babies and 3 severe cases of PPD, not one provider imderstood how my PTSD played a role. Most of the time, it was dismissed as "blues" and underplayed until I was in a crisis situation.

 

[Heather]

I had post pardon depression after I gave birth. Never talked to my obgyn about it though. Remember standing at the window holding my baby and would wonder what it would be like to open it and throw her out.

Also, at top of stairs and envisioning tossing her down to the bottom. I was afraid to tell. Afraid they'd say she wasn't safe around me. Never acted on it though.

 

[Friday]

Antepartum depression here. I handcuffed myself to a radiator almost every night for 6 months / 2nd&3rd trimesters. :wtf: My body hates being pregnant. Hormones. Ungh. No idea if PTSD played a role in any of that.