REPRODUCTION AMONG FEMALE MENTAL PATIENTS: OBSTETRIC COMPLICATIONS AND PHYSICAL SIZE OF OFFSPRING

Abstract

Rates of obstetric complications, deviations in prenatal development and predischarge neonatal disturbances were studied in 171 reproductions to female psychiatric patients and 171 reproductions to demographicallymatched control women from the same hospital delivery series. The patients were diagnostically categorized as ‘endogenous psychotics’ (process schizophrenia, manic‐depressive psychosis, schizophrenic‐like‐psychoses) and ‘other patients’ (psychopathy and diverse diagnoses). No significant difference was found between any patient group vs. its control group on rates of total pregnancy complications, labor‐birth complications, placental characteristics, predischarge neonatal disturbances or all complications. Significantly fewer of the offspring of endogenous psychotics, as contrasted with controls, were markedly preterm. Additional results concerning the relationship between complications and offspring sex and between complications and timing of mother's first psychiatric hospitalization are presented.