Psychosomatic complaints and patterns of reproductive history

Abstract

Psychosomatic complaints and patterns of reproductive history were evaluated in 6117 pregnant women to determine if there are significant relationships between psychoneurotic disturbances and desire or rejection of pregnancy and if these associations should exist whether they can be explained by associated factors of reproductive history. A series of known complaints was used and the number of such complaints was noted for each woman and compared with her reproductive behavior (desire for pregnancy, previous use of contraceptives and frequency of sexual intercourse) and reproductive history (years of married life, previous deliveries, abortions, and consultations about sterility). There was a positive relationship between psychosomatic complaints and desire for pregnancy (p less than .05). Frequency of sexual intercourse and contraceptive practice showed a positive association with the number of complaints (p's less than .05 and .01, respectively). Women expecting their 1st child or having previously consulted a physician about sterility increased the number of complaints, while previous abortion decreased them. There are high mutual interrelations between all factors of reproductive behavior and history. Multivariate contingency structure analysis revealed higher order interactions between psychosomatic complaints and patterns of reproductive behavior including use of contraceptives, frequency of intercourse, and years of married life in primiparae and in addition, desire of pregnancy in para 2 women.