Fear of childbirth and psychosomatic support. A follow up of 72 women.

BACKGROUND

Women with severe anxiety of childbirth need special support.

AIMS

To follow up women who had received individualized psychological/obstetric support because of anxiety of delivery and to describe this model of support.

METHODS

Questionnaires were sent to 100 women who had suffered from anxiety of delivery and to 100 matched references; 72 pairs provided answers.

RESULTS

Some women in the study group (25%) accepted psychotherapy during the pregnancy, and the others a modified support. In comparison with the references they remembered the pregnancy as a less positive experience (p=0.02), less vigor (p=0.002), less psychic well-being (p=0.04), more worry about health (p=0.04), more need for encouragement (p=0.001) and less emotional preparedness for delivery (p=0.01). Their experiences of delivery were similar as the references' and in some respects even more positive. The women who initially had wished a cesarean section but eventually underwent a vaginal delivery were as satisfied as those who had not wished a cesarean section. The women recommended the staff to take women's worry seriously (study and reference group 64% and 26% respectively, p-value 0.003) and to build up trust and give support (30% and 19% respectively, p-value 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Women with fear of childbirth remembered the pregnancy as distressing, in spite of support. They remembered the delivery similarly as references, also those who initially had asked for a cesarean section but eventually underwent a vaginal delivery.