Physical and emotional responses of expectant fathers throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period.

A comparative, repeated measures survey design was used to monitor the physical and emotional health of 81 expectant fathers and 66 non-expectant men over the course of a year at monthly intervals. A total of 877 monthly data collection episodes were completed. Compared to non-expectant men, expectant fathers were found to experience relatively similar patterns of both physical and emotional symptoms throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy. However, expectant fathers' health was found to differ significantly from that of non-expectant men during the immediate postpartum period with a greater incidence of emotional discomforts as well as total number of symptoms, their duration and perceived seriousness. Included are recommendations for anticipatory health counseling to promote health in expectant fathers.