Psychological Consequences of Miscarriage, Ectopic Pregnancy, and Ongoing Normal Pregnancy: The Results of a Pilot Study

Abstract

Despite the high prevalence of early pregnancy loss, little is known about the subsequent psychological consequences. The purpose of this pilot study was to find an appropriate sample size for conducting a large study to compare psychological consequences of early pregnancy loss compared with ongoing pregnancy. The study was carried out at a public hospital and the health centers of Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran in 2020. It included 90 women with miscarriage (N=30), ectopic pregnancy (N=30), and ongoing normal pregnancy (N=30). Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale were used. Based on the results, there was no statistical difference between the groups for the perceived stress levels, the status of depression, and post-traumatic disorder in the groups (P>0.05). Diagnosis of state anxiety was present in 53.3% of the ectopic pregnancy and 33.3% of miscarriage groups, but only in 20.0% of the ongoing pregnancy group (P=0.025). For trait anxiety, these proportions were 33.3%, 13.3%, and 6.7% in the ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and ongoing pregnancy groups respectively (P=0.019). In conclusion, women who experienced miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy reported more anxiety compared to women with ongoing pregnancy. Large-scale studies are needed to substantiate these findings.

Keywords

• ectopic pregnancy
• miscarriage
• anxiety
• depression
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• stress