It’s a normal reaction for any expectant mother.
But worrying during pregnancy may raise the risk of a premature birth, a study suggested Monday.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found those who suffered anxiety had a significantly higher risk of going into labor early.
They are now calling for more pregnant women to be screened for the condition, saying anxiety is a ‘potent’ risk factor.
More than one in 10 women are estimated to suffer from anxiety at some point during gestation, previous research indicates.
Women who are anxious in pregnancy are significantly more likely to have a premature birth, a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests (file)
It is thought this can lead to premature birth because it raises stress hormone levels which can trigger labor under certain conditions.
Babies born prematurely — more than three weeks before their estimated due date, normally pre-week 37 — are at higher risk for a host of conditions including breathing problems, infections and jaundice or yellowing of the eyes. Some studies also suggest their brains may develop differently compared to other infants.
In the study — published today by the American Psychological Association — scientists monitored 196 pregnant women in Denver and Los Angeles.
They were 31 years old on average, more than half had a college degree and for 55 percent it was their first pregnancy.
Each was given a questionnaire to measure their anxiety during the first and third trimesters.
This was equivalent to weeks one to 12 and 29 to 40 of pregnancy, with a standard gestation period being about 40 weeks.
One survey measured general anxiety, while others looked at it in relation to pregnancy — such as fears over risks of birth, the baby and parenting.
The impact of the COVID pandemic was not considered in the study because it looked at women who gave birth between 2013 and 2018.
Results showed that 12.5 percent of women — or 25 participants — had clinically significant levels of anxiety during pregnancy.
In the first trimester, those with general anxiety were significantly more likely to give birth earlier.
But in the third, women specifically worried about birth were more likely to give birth preterm.
The scientists did not give figures on how much earlier anxious women gave birth, compared to those who were not suffering from anxiety.
Lead author and health psychologist Dr Christine Dunkel Schetter, said the results revealed anxiety over pregnancy was a ‘potent’ mental state that ‘may affect birth outcomes’.
‘These days, depressive symptoms are assessed in many clinic settings around the world to prevent complications of postpartum depression for mothers and children.
‘This and other studies suggest that we should also be assessing anxiety in pregnant women.’
Anxiety is when someone suffers from persistent, excessive worries — such as about a birth or finances — that do not go away over time.
Signs of the condition can include restlessness, feeling on edge all or most of the time, and being unable to concentrate due to the pregnancy.
Previous research has linked both this and stress — when someone is irritable, angry or struggling to sleep due to a stressor — to a higher risk of preterm birth.
But scientists are yet to determine exactly why this is the case. Some, however, suggest it could be down to higher levels of the stress hormone in the body making it more likely a woman will go into labor.
Babies born early are more likely to face a host of problems compared to those who are not, research suggests.
These include breathing or heart problems, due to organs that are still immature, and a higher likelihood of blood problems that could lead to anemia — too few red blood cells — or jaundice — yellowing of the eyes.
The study looked at women in the Healthy Babies Before Birth study, carried out between 2013 and 2018 — before the COVID pandemic.
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