Prenatal anxiety is known to cause adverse birth outcomes. However, the effect of prenatal anxiety on gestational length remains to be studied. A study published in the journal Health Psychology examined the impact of anxiety in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy on gestational length.
The study used two scales to measure pregnancy-related anxiety, one scale to measure distress during pregnancy and the other scale to measure general anxiety in 196 pregnant women who were examined from the first trimester to one year postpartum. Findings Pregnancy-specific anxiety, which includes worries about childbirth, parenting, and the baby’s health, in the third trimester had a strong association with shorter gestational length after adjusting for the mother’s age, obstetric risk, parity, and education. General anxiety in the first trimester about issues such as medical risks, the baby,…
