Anxiety during pregnancy

By trimester

Weeks 1–13

1st trimester

Occasional worry about miscarriage, the pregnancy 'sticking,' or the unknowns of early pregnancy is close to universal and is not on its own a sign of a disorder. Research on antenatal anxiety symptoms puts first-trimester rates around 18%, and some conditions, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive symptoms among them, are more likely to first appear in the first or second trimester than later on. If worry is constant, intrusive, or hard to set aside between tasks, mention it at your first prenatal visit rather than waiting.

Weeks 14–27

2nd trimester

Symptom rates hold fairly steady into the second trimester, around 19% in pooled research, though this is also the window when new panic symptoms or intrusive, repetitive worry patterns most often first show up for the people who develop them. Anatomy-scan anxiety and waiting on test results are common triggers here; bringing it up at a routine visit is a normal, expected conversation, not an overreaction.

Weeks 28–birth

3rd trimester

Reported anxiety symptoms peak in the third trimester, around 25% in pooled research, often centered on labor, delivery, and the transition to caring for a newborn. This is also a good point to build a postpartum mental-health plan with your provider, since anxiety left unaddressed in pregnancy tends to carry into the fourth trimester rather than resolve on its own at delivery.

What does the evidence show for anxiety?

• Generalized anxiety disorder shows up in about 9 to 11 out of 100 pregnancies, and worry crosses from ordinary into a disorder once it turns frequent, time-consuming, intrusive, or irrational enough to get in the way of daily activities. 1
• Everyday worry about health, money, or family is normal, but it becomes an anxiety disorder once it stops going away, shows up across many parts of life, and tends to get worse instead of better over time. 2
• Anxiety symptoms touch about 18% of pregnancies in the first trimester, 19% in the second, and nearly 25% in the third, with roughly 15% of pregnant women meeting full criteria for an anxiety disorder, based on pooled data from 102 studies and almost 222,000 women. 3
• About 1 in 5 women meets criteria for at least one anxiety disorder somewhere in the perinatal period, and pregnancy itself runs slightly higher than the postpartum months that follow. 4
• Talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two are the standard paths forward for anxious mood in pregnancy, and the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (call or text 1-833-852-6262) connects you to a counselor free, any hour of the day. 5

When should I call my provider about anxiety?

Pregnancy anxiety commonly shows as trouble sleeping, tiredness, irritability, and difficulty focusing, with palpitations, sweating, trembling, or shortness of breath layered on. Panic-level episodes bring fears of passing out, dying, or losing control, and those belong in a conversation with a provider rather than being ridden out alone. Thoughts of death, of harming yourself or your baby, or a suicide attempt need help immediately: call or text 988, or reach the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262. Delusions, hallucinations, mania, paranoia, or confusion after delivery describe postpartum psychosis, which NIMH calls a psychiatric emergency requiring hospitalization. Trust your read on your own body. If something feels off beyond the list above, please consult your healthcare provider rather than waiting it out.