Effect of Preoperative Anxiety on Fetus in Pregnant Women

In the preoperative period, 60-80% of the patients had anxiety symptoms. This rate increases even more during pregnancy. There are a number of studies examining the role of anxiety symptoms on fetal outcome, but the mechanisms that explain the effects of maternal stress are not fully understood. The most extensively studied cytokines in neuropsychiatric disorders are TNF-α and IL-6 due to their effects on the central nervous system. TNF-α levels have been reported to be elevated in anxiety disorders. In our study, the investigators aimed to determine the relationship between preoperative anxiety levels and fetal cord blood TNF-α and IL-6 cytokine levels in pregnant women.