Fear of childbirth and psychosomatic support. A follow up of 72 women.

BACKGROUND: Women with severe anxiety of childbirth need special support. AIMS: To follow up women who had received individualized psychological/obstetric support because of anxiety of delivery and to describe this model of support.
METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 100 women who had suffered from anxiety of delivery and to 100 matched references; 72 pairs provided answers.
RESULTS: Some women in the study group (25%) accepted psychotherapy during the pregnancy, and the others a modified support. In comparison with the references they remembered the pregnancy as a less positive experience (p=0.02), less vigor (p=0.002), less psychic well-being (p=0.04), more worry about health (p=0.04), more need for encouragement (p=0.001) and less emotional preparedness for delivery (p=0.01). Their experiences of delivery were similar as the references' and in some respects even more positive. The women who initially had wished a cesarean section but eventually underwent a vaginal delivery were as satisfied as those who had not wished a cesarean section. The women recommended the staff to take women's worry seriously (study and reference group 64% and 26% respectively, p-value 0.003) and to build up trust and give support (30% and 19% respectively, p-value 0.003).
CONCLUSION: Women with fear of childbirth remembered the pregnancy as distressing, in spite of support. They remembered the delivery similarly as references, also those who initially had asked for a cesarean section but eventually underwent a vaginal delivery.