Women with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to have smaller babies and deliver prematurely, new research shows. PTSD is prevalent among women and can occur following traumatic events such as war, disaster, childhood maltreatment, rape, and battering. Women with low income and education tend to have higher rates of PTSD in pregnancy, as do African American women. A study published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, finds that children born to women with PTSD weighed a half pound less than traumatized women who did not develop PTSD, and nearly a half pound less than women who were not exposed to trauma.
