Symptoms of gestational and postpartum anxiety and intention to breastfeed exclusively until six months: results of a prospective cohort in Rio de Janeiro.

Objective: To evaluate association between symptoms of gestational and postpartum anxiety and intention to breastfeed exclusively until six months of age. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study with a population of women treated at the obstetrics service of a health center in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Anxiety symptoms were assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in the first trimester of pregnancy (trait anxiety) and 30-45 days postpartum (state anxiety). Intention to breastfeed exclusively up to six months was assessed by a questionnaire administered 30-45 days postpartum. Independent variables were obtained from standardized questionnaires with socioeconomic, obstetric and nutritional data. Crude and adjusted associations were tested by Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: A total of 195 women were evaluated in the first trimester of pregnancy, and 185 were evaluated in the postpartum period. Prevalence of trait anxiety symptoms at the beginning of pregnancy was 53%, while postpartum state anxiety was 29%. Fifty-nine percent of women intended to breastfeed exclusively for up to six months. In the adjusted analyses, presence of trait anxiety symptoms was associated with the intention not to breastfeed exclusively until six months (PR=1.70; 95% CI = 1.07-2.72). Presence of state anxiety symptoms in the postpartum period lost its association with the outcome after adjustments (PR=1.54; 95% CI = 0.97-2.44). Conclusions: Presence of trait anxiety symptoms negatively influences intention to breastfeed exclusively up to six months. Emphasis is placed on the importance of evaluating the mental health of women during pregnancy and postpartum to ensure exclusive breastfeeding is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]