title: Increased psychological trauma and decreased desire to have children after a complicated pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Information about fertility desire and psychological sequelae after high-risk pregnancies are scarce in the literature. The aim of the present study is to investigate the psychological effects of high-risk pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients who had a history of severe preeclampsia, eclampsia or major hemorrhage during the peripartum period were enrolled as the study group and compared with the control subjects with respect to fear about new pregnancy, anxiety/ depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores. The study was carried out by submitting a questionnaire form to the participants. Numbers of planned children before and after the last delivery were evaluated in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fear about a new pregnancy was found to be significantly higher in the study group compared with the controls. There were no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety and depression. In terms of re-experience and avoidance in PTSD was significantly higher in the study group, however no significant difference was found for hyper-arousal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fear regarding new pregnancy is high and planning more children is decreased after high-risk pregnancies and PTSD symptom scores were higher after high-risk pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pınar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Sıddık
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Evsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice Ender
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Soydinç
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet Erdal
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sak
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozler
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turgut
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yasin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bez
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Talip
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gül
keywords: Pregnancy; anxiety; depression; fear of childbirth; post traumatic stress syndrome