Pregnancy PTSD was associated with low birthweight and preterm birth
A review of observational studies found higher odds of these birth outcomes with maternal post-traumatic stress disorder. The evidence was rated low quality and does not establish causation.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Pregnancies involving maternal post-traumatic stress disorder were associated with higher odds of low birthweight and preterm birth in pooled analyses. However, the review rated the evidence for both outcomes as low quality. These associations do not establish that PTSD caused the outcomes or that treating PTSD would change the likelihood of either outcome.
The included studies were observational, and the abstract does not describe reference groups or absolute outcome frequencies. The pooled odds ratios therefore cannot tell an individual reader their probability of either birth outcome.
What researchers found
Low birthweight at birth
Maternal PTSD versus unspecified study reference groups: pooled odds ratio 2.05 (95% CI 1.27–3.33). Individual follow-up periods were not reported.
Preterm birth
Maternal PTSD versus unspecified study reference groups: pooled odds ratio 1.23 (95% CI 1.11–1.37). Individual follow-up periods were not reported.
Understanding the pooled numbers
An odds ratio compares outcome odds between groups; it is not a percentage increase in probability. The abstract supplies no baseline frequencies that would show how common these outcomes were in the comparison pregnancies.
Why certainty remains limited
The review combined studies that followed pregnancies or compared existing groups. Results concerning low birthweight and preterm birth varied across the literature, and the authors' evidence assessment rated the pooled findings as low quality.
The original publication
Associations between PTSD and pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and Meta- analysis.
Zitoun NM, Campbell MK, Gagnier J et al.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40750864
- Record checked
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