Treatment options and self-help tips for pregnancy anxiety

How common is pregnancy anxiety?

Anxiety in pregnancy affects around 1 in 10 women. Biologically we are designed to protect our children as mothers, and so the vast majority of women will find anxiety increases in general in pregnancy. It enables us to make safer choices, to eat more healthily, to question our activities and life choices. It helps us to protect our growing babies. Anxiety is essentially our fight and flight response. We see a potential threat (the worry or concern) and we either fight it or run away from it - essentially changing our behaviours and modifying or avoiding the potential threat.

But the problem with anxiety in pregnancy is the impact it has on women and birthing people in everyday life. Anxiety is crippling for many. It can impact on work, relationships, on physical health and wellbeing. It is when the anxieties in pregnancy have increased to a degree where it is impacting on everyday life that this requires treatment.

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