Maternal anxiety and fetal behavior at 15 weeks' gestation

Abstract

Objective To analyze the relationship between maternal anxiety and fetal behavior at 15 weeks' gestation. Methods Conclusions

The psychological effects of prenatal diagnostic procedures: maternal anxiety before and after invasive and noninvasive procedures

“…To date, studies have demonstrated that anxiety levels before prenatal diagnostic procedures are higher in amniocentesis than in ultrasound [8][9][10]37 or control groups. 38 In contrast, the findings of the current study indicate that women undergoing amniocentesis or ultrasound experience similar levels of anxiety prior to the procedure. Also, anxiety in both groups were significantly higher than in the general female population, 26 suggesting that ultrasound, despite being a noninvasive procedure, does induce a substantial level of anxiety in pregnant women.…”

“…To date, studies have demonstrated that anxiety levels before prenatal diagnostic procedures are higher in amniocentesis than in ultrasound or control groups . In contrast, the findings of the current study indicate that women undergoing amniocentesis or ultrasound experience similar levels of anxiety prior to the procedure.…”

Mother's anxiety and depression and associated risk factors during early pregnancy: effects on fetal growth and activity at 20–22 weeks of gestation

“…The major limitations of the present study were related to the small size of the sub-sample involved in the assessment of fetal behavior and to the small period of 3 min for observation of motor activity, when compared to previous studies developed in this domain [59,91]. These limitations resulted from institutional constraints to the implementation of the present research which imposed the assessment of fetal movements by the obstetrician during the morphological ultrasound routine.…”

“…Several others did not find this effect, neither for fetal growth [56][57][58] nor for fetal behavior [59]. DiPietro et al [60] suggest that mild to moderate levels of psychological distress may enhance fetal maturation in healthy populations, as higher levels of prenatal anxiety, non-specific stress, and depressive symptoms can be associated to greater motor and mental development in children at age two.…”

Fetal motor activity and maternal cortisol

“…The first study was conducted at 15 weeks gestation on a small sample ( n = 20) using a 40-minute observation period but found no association (Bartha, Martinez-del-Fresno, Romero-Carmosa, Hunter, & Comino-Delgado, 2003). In the second, maternal cortisol explained 12% of the variability in fetal motor activity observed during a 5-minute ultrasound observation between 20 and 28 weeks gestation (Field, Diego, Hernandez-Reif, Gil, & Vera, 2005).…”