Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Comparison of women’s stress in unexplained early pregnancy loss and normal vaginal delivery

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Hajar Adib‑Rad
. Zahra Basirat
. Mahbobeh Faramarzi
. Amrollah Mostafazadeh 1
. Ali Bijani 2
. Marmar Firozpour Bandpy

1 Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences

2 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Postpartum period and recurrent abortion are stressful conditions that affect
women’s mental health. Stress and depression lead to the release of stress biomarkers that may
be dangerous for the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to determine stress in the after
recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and normal vaginal delivery (NVD) in the north of Iran.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case–control study was done on forty women with NVD and
forty women with RPL. Stress was measured through measuring serum cortisol, Perceived Stress
Scale‑14 (PSS‑14), and the revised version of the Symptom Checklist‑90 (SCL‑90‑R). Data were
analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 software. Chi‑square
test, independent‑samples t‑test, Mann–Whitney U‑test, and Pearson correlation were used to
analyze the data.
RESULTS: Findings showed that nonpregnant healthy women had significantly higher
cortisol level than RPL women (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 155.80 ± 84.97 ng/ml and
126.02 ± 50.44 ng/ml, P < 0.011), respectively. Furthermore, they had higher PSS‑14 and
SCL‑90 scores than PRL women (mean ± SD: 25.87 ± 7.48 and 25.5 ± 9.19, P = 0.745, and
mean ± SD: 1.27±0.63 and 1.20 ± 0.53, P = 0.624), respectively.
CONCLUSION: High levels of cortisol reflect the acute stress caused by the care of the baby in
women. Therefore, social support for the pregnant woman by the health‑care team is an essential
factor for reducing postpartum depression.

Keywords

Cortisol
postpartum
Perceived Stress Scale‑14
recurrent pregnancy loss
Symptom Checklist‑90‑R
stress
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 10, Issue 1
January 2020
Pages 1-5

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