Pregnancy is a major physical, psychological and social event in women's life.
However, instead of being a joyful and exciting time, pregnancy may become a worrisome
event in some women consequently, aggravating their morbidity. Objective: To assess anxiety
through the three trimesters of pregnancy, in addition to the identification of some associated
factors. A cross sectional descriptive research design was used to conduct this research.
Setting: The present study setting included the three available Maternal and Child Health
Care Centers affiliated to Ministry of Health and Population in Damanhour city, Al-Behaira
Governorate. Subjects: a convenient sample of 300 pregnant women was recruited. Tools:
two tools were used to collect the data (Socio demographic data and reproductive history and
State Anxiety Inventory (SAI)). Results: The anxiety was present among 62.7% of the study
subjects and level of anxiety is higher among pregnant women during first trimester followed
by third trimester of pregnancy. Factors independently associated with anxiety included:
unwanted pregnancy, presence of family problems, age, educational level and extended family
type. Conclusion: It can be concluded that, anxiety was experienced by nearly two thirds of
the study subjects and the first trimester pregnant women had the highest anxiety level
followed by third trimester. Recommendations: screening to detect anxiety symptoms must be
done in an