Anxiety as a predictor of pain magnitude following termination of first-trimester pregnancy

Objective. The purpose of the study was to investigate anxiety and other factors that may predict pain magnitude following termination of pregnancy (TOP) during the first trimester. Design. Prospective, nonrandomized study. Setting. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. Patients. Forty consecutive women undergoing TOP. Outcome measures. Women undergoing a TOP were asked to fill out the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Pain magnitude was measured by using a visual analog scale (VAS) at 15, 30, and 60 minutes following the procedure. Correlations between state anxiety, trait anxiety, age, parity, number of TOP, gestational age, and pain magnitude were measured. Results. State anxiety was able to predict pain magnitude on VAS 15 minutes after TOP (P = 0.023), and trait anxiety was able to predict pain magnitude on VAS 30 minutes after TOP (P = 0.013). Other variables failed to show significant results. Conclusions. Preoperative assessment of anxiety levels may lead to appropriate treatment in order to alleviate discomfort and ensure pain control outcome.