Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment
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Perinatal anxiety is among the most prevalent and underrecognized concerns in reproductive mental health. Anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period affect a significant proportion of childbearing women across every clinical setting, yet they remain systematically underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment addresses this gap directly, offering clinicians and researchers a thorough, research-grounded account of what perinatal anxiety disorders look like, how they are classified, and what the scientific literature says about their management.
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Wenzel, A. (2011). Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment. Washington, DC: APA Books.
About the Book
Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment is Amy Wenzel's professional guide to anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Published by APA Books, the volume provides a comprehensive evaluation of the scientific literature on the nature, prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of anxiety disorders in pregnant and postpartum women.
The book examines the full range of anxiety presentations encountered in perinatal clinical care, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder with intrusive thoughts, and specific phobias.
It situates these presentations within the broader context of perinatal mental health, drawing on peer-reviewed research to give clinicians and scholars an organized, evidence-based framework for understanding and assessing perinatal anxiety.
Wenzel approaches the material with both scientific rigor and practical relevance, making this an accessible reference for professionals working across obstetrics, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work. The book integrates research literature with a conceptual framework that helps clinicians move from diagnostic understanding to informed clinical decision-making.
What the Book Covers
Anxiety During Pregnancy
Anxiety during pregnancy is more common than many clinicians expect. Research shows that anxiety detection rates fluctuate considerably across trimesters, with peak prevalence occurring in mid-pregnancy before partially resolving in late pregnancy. These fluctuations present real diagnostic challenges for providers, particularly in distinguishing clinically significant anxiety from normative worry about childbirth and parenting.
Anxiety in Childbearing Women examines the prevalence, presentation, and clinical significance of anxiety disorders in the antenatal period. The book explores how different anxiety disorders manifest during pregnancy, the factors that increase risk, and what the research indicates about how untreated prenatal anxiety affects both maternal wellbeing and infant development. Clinicians working in obstetric settings will find particular value in how the material connects epidemiological data to practical assessment considerations.
Postpartum Anxiety and Related Disorders
Postpartum anxiety affects approximately one in four women according to current peer-reviewed research, making it one of the most common complications of the postpartum period. The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the postpartum period is estimated at around 17%, a rate substantially higher than in the general population.
Despite this, postpartum anxiety is frequently overshadowed by postpartum depression in clinical screening and public health discussion, and less than half of new mothers experiencing symptoms seek treatment.
The book gives substantive attention to the full spectrum of postpartum anxiety presentations, including intrusive and ego-dystonic thoughts, panic symptoms, generalized worry, and the significant clinical overlap between postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression.
Wenzel provides a conceptual framework for understanding how these presentations interact and why clinicians working with postpartum women benefit from familiarity with all of them.
Diagnosis, Screening, and Assessment
Accurate diagnosis of perinatal anxiety requires tools and frameworks adapted to the specific context of pregnancy and the postpartum period. The CANMAT 2024 clinical practice guidelines for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, published in early 2025, reinforce the importance of systematic screening, thorough diagnostic assessment, and individualized care pathways for this population. These guidelines reflect a growing clinical consensus that perinatal anxiety requires structured, specialist-informed attention at every point of care.
Anxiety in Childbearing Women addresses the diagnostic landscape in detail. The book reviews how anxiety disorders are classified in the perinatal context, the screening tools commonly used to identify perinatal anxiety, and how to approach differential diagnosis when depressive and anxious symptoms co-occur.
It also examines the evidence base for both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment, with particular attention to cognitive behavioral therapy as a first-line, evidence-supported approach for pregnant and postpartum women.
Who This Book Is For
This volume was written for professionals who encounter perinatal anxiety in clinical, research, or educational settings. Primary audiences include:
Psychologists and clinical social workers providing psychotherapy to pregnant or postpartum women
Psychiatrists managing pharmacological treatment in the perinatal period
Obstetricians, nurse practitioners, and midwives responsible for identification, screening, and referral
Researchers and graduate students studying perinatal mental health or women's health psychology
Educators and supervisors developing training curricula for perinatal clinical work
The book's research-grounded approach makes it equally suited to clinical practice and academic study, and its evidence-based framework provides a solid foundation for professionals at all career stages.
Praise for Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment
"This volume is comprehensive in its coverage of perinatal anxiety and will be a wonderful resource for clinicians who work with pregnant and postpartum women. Wenzel's scholarship and clinical acumen shine through in every page."
— Michael O'Hara, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, The University of Iowa
"Wenzel strikes a perfect balance between reviewing the available research and presenting an integrative conceptual framework for understanding perinatal anxiety. This is an outstanding and much-needed resource for clinicians, researchers, and students."
— Pamela S. Wiegartz, Ph.D., Director of CBT Services and Training in Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
"This book is a must for health care providers who treat women of childbearing age. Wenzel is an expert in the area and has done a fantastic job not only of presenting the information but also making recommendations regarding future research."
— Jeanne Watson Driscoll, Ph.D., RN, PC, JWD Associates, Inc., Boston MA, co-author, Women's Moods and Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Clinician's Guide
Related Perinatal Mental Health Books by Amy Wenzel
Dr. Wenzel has authored and edited a substantial body of work on perinatal mental health and cognitive behavioral therapy. Clinicians and researchers building a thorough understanding of perinatal anxiety and its treatment may also find the following titles useful:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Perinatal Distress: A treatment-focused clinical guide co-authored with Karen Kleiman, covering CBT approaches for anxiety, depression, and distress in pregnant and postpartum women
The Routledge International Handbook of Perinatal Mental Health Disorders: A comprehensive international reference covering the full range of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
The Oxford Handbook of Perinatal Psychology: A scholarly handbook addressing perinatal psychology in depth for researchers and clinicians
Tokens of Affection: Reclaiming Your Marriage After Postpartum Depression: A clinically informed guide to relationship strain in the postpartum period
Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A broader reference on CBT practice connecting Wenzel's perinatal expertise to the wider evidence base
If you work with pregnant or postpartum women and want to connect perinatal anxiety research with individualized clinical care, explore Dr. Wenzel's approach to evidence-based psychotherapy or reach out directly to learn more about her clinical work and training resources.
