Can extreme stress cause miscarriage in 2nd trimester

[Anonymous]

I'm 16 weeks and the past month have been insanely stressful (even moreso than the previous 8 months in the pandemic). I've been dealing with a potential cancer diagnosis (still not determined, I go back for more testing in a few weeks), major issues at work, and now my mother who is older and lives alone is having health trouble. On top of this, I feel like everyone around me is just breezing through this pandemic, seeing friends, going to restaurants, etc. and I'm totally isolated. I'm worried that with the amount of stress my body is under, there's no way this baby can hang on for much longer. What can I do? And no, I'm not going on antidepressants -- I've been on several antidepressants before, experienced significant side effects, and the last thing this body needs is something else introduced to it.

[Anonymous]

Babies are born in war zones, abusive situations, refugee camps, and in 10000 other very stressful situations. Yes can cause a slight increased risk in miscarriage or early labor, but the very very high odds are still that you will have a healthy baby.

I'm sorry you're going through so much

[Anonymous]

Have you considered therapy and have you talked to your doctor about all of the stresses? I'm sorry all of those things are happening. Can you take time out each day to do something you enjoy that helps you relax?

[Anonymous]

I had a friend who was diagnosed with stage 3, triple negative breast cancer while pregnant. Her son is 4 and she is alive. Take care of you op and definitely get a therapist. That is an insane amount of stress to be under. Is your husband supportive and helping you bear this burden? Even if you don’t want to be on antidepressants, having someone to talk to could help more than you think.

[Anonymous]

Reading your words, this could have been me 8 months ago. At the start of the pandemic I had major family and work issues and was at the end of my rope, then found out I’m pregnant. As others have said, babies are born in places of conflict, to mothers who have been neglected or abused. That said, mental state of mind is important. If you want this baby, dwell on loving it and supporting it’s growth even while all the bs around you is unfolding. Give it every best chance while acknowledging your stressful situation IS going to affect your body, your health. And that’s okay. You do your best and you’ll both pull through (or in unlikely circumstance, baby won’t and it will be sad but life will go on)

[Anonymous]

Pp ^^ here forgot to say, I also found lumps in my breasts 1 month prior to pregnancy and they couldn’t rule out cancer, I have to check a couple months after birth. Crazy times but I’ve learned to ignore the lumps for now. Focusing on what is important since there is nothing I can do about them

[Anonymous]

It can, but it is incredibly rare.

But focus on your mental health for YOU, not for the baby. Find a therapist and quit social media. Your friends aren’t breezing through this, most likely, but looking at their curated photos won’t help you.

[Anonymous]

Is this your first baby, OP? Do you have friends that are mothers of babies/young children? I remember being pregnant with my first and having a hard time relating to my friends who were childless and/or single. Reaching out to friends and acquaintances with kids was good for my mental health. And then once I had kids I was happy to share advice and war stories with new moms.

[Anonymous]

I think you should get therapy. Start now before the baby is here because it may only get worse after the baby is here and there will be even more major change.

[Anonymous]

Are you in therapy OP? I would recommend that. I’m sorry that things have been so tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp ^^ here forgot to say, I also found lumps in my breasts 1 month prior to pregnancy and they couldn’t rule out cancer, I have to check a couple months after birth. Crazy times but I’ve learned to ignore the lumps for now. Focusing on what is important since there is nothing I can do about them

I'll. Aspiration, ct scsnband all sorts of other tests would have been done.

[Anonymous]

Hi, OP here. Sorry for delayed response to everyone who responded. Yes, I do have a therapist - I have seen her for years and she knows me well. I see her virtually once a week and she does help, but it doesn't relieve much of the stress that I continue to experience. My husband is as supportive as he can, but he doesn't experience anxiety ever and it is very difficult for him to understand how I feel. I can explain to him very clearly how I am feeling and why and he is just kind of like, "but why are you stressed?" He means well, he just doesn't get it. I haven't told many friends that I am pregnant, so I can't talk to many of them about it, though I have told a few. They also have their own issues between the pandemic, their own kids, etc. so I really have to be mindful about how much I bother them. I kind of feel like I just have to ride this out alone until the end of the pregnancy and end of the pandemic (whichever comes first). But good to know that miscarriage risk is not sky high simply because of stress, that does make me feel better.

[Anonymous]

OP again - I also went off Instagram back in October, it has definitely help! I was feeling so anxious and upset every day when I would log on and see all of my friends going out to dinner, having dinner parties, etc. when my husband and I have been pretty much seeing no one since March. He is high risk b/c he is type 1 diabetic and I am now high risk being pregnant, so we just can't see friends or go anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely stress can cause premature labor, premature birth, stillbirth or miscarriage. Sorry to worry you even more, OP, but that is well-documented.

Please talk to your OB about this. Talk to your husband and close friends. Your OB needs to monitor you frequently, particularly blood pressure-wise. Your family needs to lift the burden off you in whichever way they can, even if they don't get it, they HAVE to listen and do their utmost to help you. Insist. If you need medication, make sure it's safe to take during pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. I also had massive upheaval in my life, including a health scare, during my pregnancy and I worried about this same thing. My OB and the internet reassured me that there's no evidence that stress could cause miscarriage, but I still worried.

The best thing I did was start meditating. I downloaded the Headspace app, which actually has a series of meditations explicitly for pregnancy, and I just set aside time every day to do it. It helped. I also did a class on "mindful childbirth" and while I did not have a mindful birth experience, the mindfulness exercises I learned in that class really helped me with my stress and worry and gave me something concrete I could do when I started to feel overwhelmed or panicky.

In the end I had a healthy, beautiful baby and while I'm still dealing with a lot of the same stressors as I was during pregnancy, she is the light of my life. I am hoping the same for you. Hugs, and good luck!