A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF SOMATIC AND EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY

Using a prospective design, this study examined somatic and emotional symptoms of planned pregnancy in a sample of 162 healthy women. All wo men participated in a baseline (prepregnancy) interview. Seventy women became pregnant and were assessed at each trimester; the 92 nonpregna nt controls were interviewed 3, 6, and 9 months after their baseline i nterview. All participants also completed the Anxiety and Depression s ubscales of the Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL 90-R). No significant g roup differences were found at baseline. As expected, however, pregnan t women reported significantly more instances of digestive symptoms (n ausea, vomiting, heartburn), fatigue, and moodiness than nonpregnant c ontrols. Discriminant-function analyses found that in the context of a ll symptom variables, nausea and fatigue were the primary distinguishi ng features of the first trimester. In the second and third trimester, fatigue and heartburn contributed to the distinction of pregnant and nonpregnant women. Although pregnancy precipitates many physical and p sychological changes in this sample of women who had planned pregnanci es, our results did not support the notion that pregnancy is either a time of significant emotional turmoil or of heightened emotional well- being.