P-490 Recurrent pregnancy loss acts as a posttraumatic stress event in both women and men

AbstractStudy questionWhat are the psychological impacts of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) on men and women and their interdependencies?Summary answerWomen show higher psychological risks than men, except for lack of social support. Avoidance behaviour of men correlates with higher posttraumatic stress of their partner.What is known alreadyAbout 1-3% of all couples trying to conceive are affected by RPL. The loss of the unborn child can be the most traumatic experience in a woman ’s life and is associated with significant psychological distress besides the instant grief. RPL can also be stressful for the partner, even though being at a lower risk for psychiatric morbidities. The man’s gender role expects him to support and not to show weakness which may result in a suppr ession of his feelings and a disenfranchised grief.Study design, size, durationCross-sectional study. All women and men referred to the special unit for RPL between March 2019 and October 2020 were asked to participate voluntarily with a total sample size of 105 couples and 17 women. Exclusion criteria were less than two pregnancy losses, inadequate knowledge of the German language and incomplete data.Participants/materials, setting, methodsCouples were invited to fill out a questionnaire package estimating their psychological risks (e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, perceived social support) and coping strategies with established instruments. Clinical history was obtained from medi...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research