Psycho-Emotional Impact of Anomaly Ultrasound Scan in Romanian Pregnant Women

Objective: Second-trimester anomaly scan was introduced as a regulated practice in Romania in 2019, causing misperceptions and unrealistic expectations about this examination among pregnant women. This study aimed to assess whether second trimester anomaly scan is a reason “per se” for maternal anxiety. Design: A prospective type 1 cohort study was conducted in a tertiary prenatal diagnosis center with three locations in Bucharest, Romania, among pregnant women who underwent a second trimester anomaly scan between 1 December 2019 and 29 February 2020. Main outcome measure: Anxiety at the time of prenatal anomaly scan. Results: Out of the 138 participants, 32.6% believed that the anomaly scan could detect all fetus defects, 13.8% considered that the baby is bothered by the probe “light”, 8.7% believed that the scan could harm the fetus, 96.4% reported that it was a pleasant experience, and 95% felt that it strengthened their bond with the fetus. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score revealed that women with high state anxiety were more anxious at pre-scan (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Ultrasound scan in the second trimester is correlated with a significant anxiety for women who are prone to this psychological trait. It is also a good opportunity to screen for highly anxious women who could benefit from prenatal psychological counseling to facilitate timely recognition and prevention of postpartum psychiatric disorders such as depression.

Postpartum Depression: A Literature Review of Screening and Prevention

Pregnancy is a complex and vulnerable period that presents a number of challenges to women, including the development of postpartum psychiatric disorders. These disorders can include postpartum depression and anxiety, which are relatively common, and the rare but more severe postpartum psychosis. In addition, other postpartum psychiatric disorders can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders. The etiology of postpartum psychiatric disorders is a complex interaction of psychological, social and biological factors, in addition to genetic and environmental factors. The goals of treating postpartum mental illness are reducing maternal symptoms and supporting maternal-child and family functioning. Women and their families should receive psychoeducation about the illness, including evidence-based discussions about the risks and benefits of each treatment option. In this article, we would like to focus on postpartum depression (PPD). Identifying and treating this problem can reduce the alarming number of suicides among depressed perinatal women and the possible adverse effects of untreated maternal depression on their child’s cognitive and behavioral development. Developing effective strategies in global settings that allow the delivery of targeted therapies to women with different clinical phenotypes and severities of PPDs is essential. In this review, we discuss the latest developments in screening, treatment, and prevention methods.