Reproductive Symptoms: Interrelations and Determinants

This study investigated the interrelation of women's symptomatic reports during menstruation and pregnancy, the association of these reports with the general tendency to report somatic and psychological symptoms, and the role of social stress in intensifying symptom complaints. The sample consisted of 196 women who were either pregnant or who had had at least one pregnancy in the past. The pattern of results varied with current reproductive status. Past menstrual symptom reports had a significant relation to current pregnancy symptoms, but the converse was not found. Women who reported a high level of general health complaints also reported more intense reproductive symptoms. Social stress, however, did not significantly affect reproductive symptom reports. The use of multivariate techniques was found to improve the explanation bf the ways in which social and somatic factors interact to determine women's psychological responses to reproductive experiences.