Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common among women, with a lifetime prevalence of PTSD estimated to be about 10%. While PTSD occurs in all age groups, it is most prevalent among women of childbearing age, and PTSD symptoms are common during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Previous studies have indicated that women with a diagnosis of PTSD have an increased risk of preterm birth. In one study, it was observed that the risk was particularly high in women with diagnoses of both PTSD and major depression; these women had a 4-fold increased risk of preterm birth.
PTSD and Preterm Birth in US Veterans
In 2014, Shaw and colleagues examined the relationship between PTSD and risk of preterm birth in a group of women followed by the Veterans Health Administration. In this retrospective study of 16,334 deliveries between 2000 and 2012, the researchers identified women with PTSD. They