Psychological consequences of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and normal pregnancy: A result of a pilot study- Short running title: Psychological consequences of pregnancy loss

Background: The psychological consequences associated with miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy may have the potential to cause lasting psychological disorders in women. The study aimed to determine the psychological consequences of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy compared to women with normal pregnancies.Method: The pilot cohort study was carried out between March to December ۲۰۲۰ at the maternity ward of a public hospital and public health centers in a city in Iran. The study included ۶۰ women who were diagnosed with miscarriage(N=۳۰) and ectopic pregnancy(N=۳۰), as well as ۳۰ pregnant women with a normal pregnancy. Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale were used to collect data, and Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used for the data analysis.Result: The mean age of participants was ۲۸.۸۱ .According to the results, there was no statistical difference between the groups for the perceived stress levels and the status of depression(p=۰.۰۸۹) and post-traumatic disorder (p=۰.۲۱۶) in the three groups (p=۰.۱۷۶). Diagnosis of state anxiety was present in ۵۳.۳% of the ectopic pregnancy group but only ۲۰.۰% of the normal pregnancy group and ۳۳.۳% of women with miscarriage (p=۰.۰۲۵). For trait anxiety, these proportions were ۴(۱۳.۳%), ۱۰(۳۳.۳) and ۲(۶.۷%) in miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and normal groups respectively (p=۰.۰۱۹).Conclusion: Women who experienced miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy significantly more met the criteria for anxiety compared to women with normal pregnancy.

Keywords:

Miscarriage , Ectopic pregnancy , Stress , Anxiety , Depression , Post-traumatic stress disorder