Bed rest and high-risk pregnancy. Differentiating the effects of diagnosis, setting, and treatment.

Current research on high-risk pregnancy frequently has confounded the effects of diagnosis, setting, and treatment. Studies of pregnancy bed rest have demonstrated a beginning attempt to differentiate the influences of confounding variables and, similar to high-risk studies, have found that depression, anxiety, other disturbing emotions, and separation from family are common side effects. It is likely that some of the effects previously attributed to high-risk pregnancy may be either caused or heightened by activity restriction. This article identifies the major issues to be considered when studying high-risk pregnant women. Furthermore, it suggests that, if activity restriction must be prescribed, the adverse effects of treatment upon both the women and her fetus should be considered in the decision making process.