Researchers from Imperial College London (UK) interviewed 113 women who had recently suffered a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. The results of their investigation, published in the British medical journal show that 4 in 10 women suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder within three months of terminating their pregnancy.
Insufficient consideration of terminations of pregnancy
Miscarriage is defined as the loss of a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy. But most occur during the first trimester, that is, before the 12th week of pregnancy. About one in four pregnancies is estimated to end in miscarriage.
Ectopic pregnancies are rarer (one for 200 pregnancies). This happens when the egg develops in the tube and not in the uterus.
These “incidents” are most often considered minor by doctors while the study of researchers in London shows that they should be taken into account more carefully. Among women who had a miscarriage, 45% reported symptoms of PTSD at this time, compared to 18% of women who had an ectopic pregnancy.
“We will study why some women are at greater risk for anxiety disorders than others, in order to help healthcare professionals identify who may need additional support.” says Professor Tom Bourne, lead author of the study.
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