In France, 1.8% of women have suffered physical violence while they were pregnant, which can have serious consequences on the health of the baby.
In the world, 35% of women have already suffered physical or sexual violence of their partner or other during their lifetime. If these figures are very worrying, they are even more so when the victim is pregnant. According to a survey by Inserm and the University of Paris published in the Maternal and Child Health Journalin France, 1.8% of women have suffered physical violence during their pregnancy, which of course has a disastrous impact on their mind and the health of the baby at birth.
“Until now, we did not have data regarding physical violence specifically during pregnancy, at the national level”, explains Inserm in a press release. To change this, the researchers studied the data collected during the National Perinatal Survey carried out in 2016 on 12,330 women in public or private maternity hospitals in France. Among the 1.8% of participants interviewed who had suffered physical violence during their pregnancy, it was mainly women who did not live with their spouse. The researchers also noted that abuse was more common among those living in low-income households.
Premature births, deaths in utero…
And of course, this violence has terrible consequences for the mother and the child. Pregnant women who are victims of abuse are more likely to smoke tobacco or cannabis and 62% of them declare having been in a situation of psychological distress during pregnancy, against 24% for the others. Regarding the baby, this violence is associated with a higher risk of premature birth or transfer to an intensive care unit, notes the study.
“A better knowledge of the factors associated with situations of violence and the highlighting of complications for the mother and the child should help health professionals to develop preventive or protective strategies and lead them to raise this issue during consultations. antenatal,” concludes Inserm.
In addition to the issues outlined above, physical abuse in pregnant women can also lead to gestational diabetes or high blood pressure, respectively due to malnutrition and stress, explains to the site. magic mom Mathilde Delespine, a midwife who has set up a permanence to free the speech of women victims of domestic violence at the Montreuil hospital. “In addition, a symbol of pregnancy, the belly of the future mother is most often attacked. Haemorrhages, placental abruption, premature rupture of the membranes, even death in utero can ensue”, she specifies. .
Many battered women confide after childbirth
However, if pregnancy exacerbates domestic violence (according to the association Stopover specialist in violence against women, 40% of them start during this period), it is also the best time to spot them. Indeed, pregnant women see health professionals much more regularly than others. “Victims don’t trust themselves very much, so you have to ask them the question and try to initiate a dialogue. The Interministerial Mission for the Protection of Women Victims of Violence (Miprof) is responsible for raising awareness and training professionals on violence against women In midwifery studies, a step forward has been taken,” says Marie Delespine.
In 2014, article 51 of the law for equality between men and women endorsed the obligation of initial and continuous training of doctors, medical and paramedical personnel as well as social workers on violence against women.
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