[Anxiety of Pregnant Women with Prior Miscarriage Before and After Prenatal Diagnosis].

Purpose: Aim of the investigation is to assess the anxiety in pregnant women with prior miscarriage and without prior miscarriage before and after prenatal testing for congenital anomalies.

Material And Methods: Are sampling is carried of 50 pregnant women with prior miscarriage and 224 pregnant women without prior miscarriage between the 11th and 22th week of gestation who are presenting themselves for the first time for specific prenatal diagnostics. I study state and trait anxiety levels (Spielberger) before and state anxiety after prenatal diagnosis.

The Effect of a Complex Multi-modality Ayurvedic Treatment in a Case of Unknown Female Infertility.

Background: Treatment of female infertility has been growing globally in recent years. In spite of improvements in medical strategies and the improved outcomes for infertile couples, treatment attempts remain largely unsuccessful. A growing number of patients pursue complementary and alternative medicine treatment options like Ayurveda that offers a variety of inpatient and outpatient treatments for infertility.

[Psychosocial child development after successful infertility treatment].

The long-term development of children after assisted reproduction, especially the physical, mental and social development, has attracted increasing interest. Most studies are focused on singletons after ART compared to those after spontaneous conception. A distinction is made between health, cognitive and psychosocial development.

[Experience of pregnancy and delivery after ART].

Differences in the experience of pregnancy and birth after ART compared to spontaneous conception are of interest for the developmental pyschologist. Studies performed to date have compared mainly the psychological aspects of experiencing the singleton pregnancy and the single birth. Couples after ART are at higher anxiety levels compared to those who have conceived naturally in the early stages of pregnancy.

[Parents of multiple births after assisted conception].

Background: A major criticism is the increase in multiple pregnancies after ART in the past 30 years and the associated fetal and maternal risks.

Material: Few studies examined the psychosocial risks of the parents of multiple births after ART, for example psychology adjustment, parenting stress, education problems, anxiety, depression, relationship problems or social isolation.

Results: The research confirms the psychosocial characteristics after multiple births.

[Vaginal birth versus Cesarean section on demand - which mode of delivery is preferred by pregnant women?].

Background: The Cesarean section rate continues to increase across the developed nations since there are still a number possible reasons for this development including medical and non-clinical indications. The aim of this study was to analyse how pregnant women themselves think about Cesarean section and vaginal delivery, and which mode of delivery they prefer.

Methods: Pregnant women booked for prenatal diagnosis at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck between October 2004 and January 2005 were invited to participate in the study.

[Reproductive techniques and concepts of psychosomatic medicine].

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the expectations of the patients regarding prenatal examination and assisted reproductive treatment.

Methods: The first sample included patients and their partners at the commencement of assisted reproductive treatment. The couples were asked to predict the success of in vitro fertilization on a scale ranging from 0 to 100%.

Pregnant women's cognitive concept concerning their unborn prior to prenatal diagnosis.

Objective: We examined pregnant women's expectations concerning their unborn babies prior to prenatal diagnosis and also the possible correlations with emotional characteristics such as anxiety and depression.

Methods: The consecutive sampling consisted of 324 pregnant women presenting themselves between the 11th and 29th weeks of pregnancy for detection of foetal anomalies. The pregnant women noted their thoughts and expectations concerning their unborn using a choice of 18 adjectives in a 5-point Likert scale in a standardized questionnaire.

[Psychological aspects of pregnancy and prenatal diagnostics].

Background: Pregnancy is an extraordinary event with an impact on family life and demands a process of adaptation for the future parents. Diagnostic, as well as the therapeutic developments of prenatal diagnosis have resulted in great technical advances in the medical attendance of pregnant women in the past twenty years. Beside the medical aspects, the psychological impact on a pregnant woman and the father-to-be has to be taken into meticulous consideration.

Stress and anxiety associated with prenatal diagnosis.

Prior to any specific prenatal diagnostic procedure, the pregnant woman should be counselled about the indications for the procedure and how the diagnosis would inform care. In addition, the risks and limitations should be clearly spelt out. The availability of non-invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures such as sonography appears to have led to a higher rate of acceptance of such procedures, especially in younger patients.

Women's attitude and perceptions towards menopause in different cultures. Cross-cultural and intra-cultural comparison of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women in Germany and in Papua New Guinea.

Objective: To study cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences between the perception and the experience of menopause in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal German and Papua New Guineas women.

Design: Concepts concerning menopause and the experience of the menopause were assessed by the symptom categories (i.e.

The influence of gestational age on depressive reactions, stress and anxiety of pregnant women and their partners in relation to prenatal diagnosis.

Prenatal diagnosis is usually performed in the early weeks of gestation in order to avoid medical and emotional maternal risks in the event of fetal malformation. This study examines emotions such as depression, stress and anxiety in pregnant women and their partners with regard to the week of gestation in which the prenatal diagnosis was made. In total, 452 pregnant women (between 7 and 40 weeks' gestation) and 274 partners participated in this study.

[Retrospectively experiencing the menopause in Germany and in Papua New Guinea: a comparative report].

Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine the experience of menopause in postmenopausal women from Germany and in postmenopausal women from Papua New Guinea.

Methods: Experience of menopause were assessed by formation of symptom groups (e. g.

Prenatal medicine related to stress and depressive reactions of pregnant women and their partners.

Objective: Our study analyses the emotional mood of pregnant women and their partners before various prenatal diagnostic procedures (amniocentesis, ultrasound, chorion villus sampling), and their psychological stress both before and after the diagnostic procedures.

Methods: We studied 472 pregnant women and 308 partners. 88 women (18.

Expectations for success in fertility treatment involving assisted reproduction.

We carried out a prospective investigation recording how 115 couples estimated their chances for successful in-vitro fertilization. The couples were asked to predict the success of in-vitro fertilization on a scale ranging from 0% to 100%. The somatic findings and the social background variables (age, education, length of time of trying to get pregnant, causes of infertility and experience of treatment) were also recorded.

Anxiety scores before and after prenatal testing for congenital anomalies.

Objective: Prenatal diagnosis has psychological effects on the pregnant woman. We studied the state of anxiety levels in 332 pregnant women presenting between the 12th and 20th week of gestation before and after prenatal examination with negative and positive prenatal findings.

Results: Prenatal examination produced a positive finding in 37 cases (11.

[Fears of pregnant women if prenatal examination yields or does not yield any findings].

Objective: Besides a medical point of view, prenatal diagnosis also has psychological effects on the pregnant woman. We studied the state of anxiety before and after prenatal examination with unsuspicious and suspicious prenatal findings.

Material And Methods: In a consecutive sample of 332 pregnant women presenting between the 12th and 21st week of gestation for prenatal malformation scan (level three reference centre, Unit for Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lübeck) we ascertained state and trait anxiety (Spielberger) before prenatal examination and state anxiety after prenatal examination with unsuspicious and suspicious findings.

Depressive reactions and stress related to prenatal medicine procedures.

Objective: The experience of pregnancy is mainly influenced by the availability of prenatal screening procedures. Previous screening studies focus on somatic abnormalities. The psychological experience of the parents-to-be recedes into the background.

Subjective well-being in infertile couples.

The subjective well-being of infertile couples is affected by numerous variables. One hundred and ten infertile couples were investigated using the von Zerssen symptom checklist. With the exception of sterile women of fertile men (group 1: female infertility), women and men in the overall randomized sample and the diagnostic groups (group 2: subfertility of the man; group 3: sterility of both partners; group 4: idiopathic sterility) report fewer general symptoms than the overall population of patients with somatic and psychiatric diseases.

Coping with male infertility. Gender differences.

Infertility is a stressor that affects the infertile couple. Coping of infertile couples with the unfulfilled desire for a child is affected by numerous variables. Depending on the diagnose is the patients were assigned to four groups: Group 1: female infertility (infertile women of fertile men), Group 2: infertility of the men, Group 3: infertility of both partners, Group 4: idiopathic sterility).

Prospective, randomized study to evaluate the success rates using hCG, vaginal progesterone or a combination of both for luteal phase support.

Background: A prospective study was done to compare the efficacy of luteal phase support (LPS) using either three times hCG (group I, n=77), hCG on the day of embryo transfer (ET) in combination with daily vaginal progesterone (group II, n=62) or vaginal progesterone only (group III, n=70).

Method: All patients were treated using the long luteal protocol for controlled ovarian stimulation in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycle. Patients were randomized to one of these groups when estradiol was <2500 pg/ml and less than 12 oocytes were retrieved (low risk groups).

[Unfulfilled desire for a child--coping strategies of involuntarily childless women and men].

Objective: We analyzed whether coping strategies vary depending on gender and sterility diagnosis.

Material And Methods: We investigated 110 couples using the "Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness" by Muthny [14]. The questionnaire consists of 5 analytic scales, covering one coping-strategy each: F1: depressive coping; F2: problem-faced coping; F3: diversion and building-oneself-up; F4: religion and sense-seeking; F5: trivialization and wishful thinking.