Effect of early pregnancy loss experience on fear of birth and perception of traumatic bi̇rth in next pregnancy: Case-control study

This research was conducted as a case-control study to determine the effect of early pregnancy loss experience on fear of birth and perception of traumatic birth in the next pregnancy. The data of the study were collected from pregnant women who applied to the NST outpatient clinic of Mersin City Training and Research Hospital between February 2022 and November 2022. Introductory Information Form, Wijma Delivery Expectation/Experience Questionnaire Version A and Traumatic Birth Perception Scale were used in the study. Measurement tools were applied to both groups, and the second part of the Introductory Information Form was additionally asked to the case group. SPSS 22.0 (Statistical packet for Social Sciences for Windows 26.0) package program was used in the evaluation of the data. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, the significance test of the difference between two means (t-test), Pearson and Fisher's exact chi-square test were used. There was no difference between the groups in terms of socio-demographic and obstetrics (p>0.05). Scale of Traumatic Childbirth Perception mean scores were 65.06±31.16 in the case group and 48.18±25.02 in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was determined that the mean score of the Wijma Delivery Expectation/Experience Questionnaire Version A was 38.71±21.78 in the case group and 29.28±21.38 in the control group, the difference being statistically significant (p<0.05). It was determined that women who experienced early pregnancy loss had higher levels of fear of childbirth and perception of traumatic birth in their next pregnancy compared to those who did not. For this reason, it is recommended that women who experience early pregnancy loss be evaluated psychologically after the experience and in their next pregnancies, and midwifery interventions are applied, and if necessary, they are directed to mental health professionals.