International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

About one in five pregnant women suffer from a fear of childbirth, according to a new study.

Research by academics in Norway and published in the BJOG journal has revealed these are typically relatively young women who have never given birth before.

Pre-existing psychological issues were also said to have influenced their feelings, along with prior experience of "adverse obstetric events".

However, researchers discovered people who are afraid of giving birth will probably endure longer labour times than those who are not.

John Thorp, deputy editor-in-chief of BJOG, said this means those with this fear will be more likely to require intervention from obstetrics specialists.

"This needs to be explored further so obstetricians and midwives can provide the appropriate support and advice," he commented.

The findings come after scientists at Ashkelon Academic College and Barzilai Medical Center in Israel and the University of Michigan discovered infants born to mothers who experience stress in the first trimester are more likely to have low iron concentrations in the blood.

Posted by Carla Mackenzie