Women with recurrent pregnancy loss: Their psychology during late pregnancy and the supportive behavior of their partners

To elucidate the psychiatric characteristics of mothers and the supportive behavior of their partners during late pregnancy, 131 mothers who gave birth at 2 general hospitals in City A between August 2009 and September 2010 (control group: n=90; recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) group: n=41) completed a self-administered questionnaire on four separate occasions: during late pregnancy, during hospitalization, at 1-month postpartum, and at 3-months postpartum. The RPL group had significantly (p=0.03) lower anxiety regarding potential change in their appearance than the controls, but were more likely to worry about losing their baby (58% vs. 38%) (p=0.021). At 3-months postpartum, the RPL group reported having had more stress during pregnancy than the controls (49% vs. 31%; p=0.041). There were no significant differences in state or trait anxiety (State- Trait Anxiety Inventory) between the 2 groups at any of the four measurements. However, state anxiety decreased significantly throughout the hospitalization for controls (p <0.001), but did not decrease significantly for the RPL group until 3 months postpartum (p<0.05). RPL participants who expressed high satisfaction with their partners' supportive behavior received significantly greater psychological support than did participants with low satisfaction. Healthcare professionals should attempt to support both members of RPL couples.