Psychiatric Disorders and Miscarriage
- rajaduttamd
- Sep 8, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
A new population-based study from Norway sheds light on an important, but often overlooked, link between mental health and pregnancy outcomes. Published in The British Journal of Psychiatry (2021), the research examined over 593,000 pregnancies between 2010 and 2016 to investigate whether psychiatric disorders increase the risk of miscarriage.
Key Findings
Increased risk across many diagnoses: Women with psychiatric disorders had a consistently higher risk of miscarriage. The strongest associations were found with:
Bipolar disorder (35% higher odds)
Personality disorders (32% higher odds)
ADHD (27% higher odds)
Anxiety and depression (25% higher odds each)
Conduct, somatoform, and eating disorders also showed elevated risks.
Schizophrenia spectrum disorders carried a modestly higher risk once other co-occurring diagnoses were accounted for.
Multiple diagnoses, greater risk: Women with more than one psychiatric condition faced the highest miscarriage risks, with odds rising by 45–51% when two or more diagnoses were present.
Why Does This Matter?
Miscarriage affects nearly one in six recognized pregnancies, most often linked to maternal age and chromosomal abnormalities. This study highlights that mental health may also play a meaningful role. Possible explanations include:
Biological pathways involving stress hormones or neurotrophic factors that influence placental development.
Indirect effects through lifestyle factors like smoking or higher BMI.
Potential impacts of psychiatric medications, though this study did not include prescription data.
Strengths of the Study
The use of Norway’s national health registries allowed researchers to minimize recall bias and capture a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses prospectively. With more than half a million pregnancies studied, the findings are robust and broadly generalizable.
Clinical and Public Health Implications
The study underscores the need for greater awareness in antenatal care. Women with psychiatric disorders may benefit from closer monitoring and supportive interventions during pregnancy. Importantly, identifying and treating psychiatric conditions in women of reproductive age could play a role in improving pregnancy outcomes.
Takeaway
Mental health and reproductive health are deeply interconnected. This research shows that a wide spectrum of psychiatric conditions is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. For clinicians and policymakers, the findings are a call to integrate mental health more fully into prenatal care strategies.
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