Violence against Women and the Perinatal Period: The Impact of Lifetime Violence and Abuse on Pregnancy and Postpartum

Violence against women (VAW) is an unfortunate fact of life for millions of women around the world. And mothers are not immune. A recent study of 332 postpartum women in Toronto found that 14% reported a history of child sexual abuse, 7% reported child physical abuse, 13% reported adult sexual abuse, 7% reported adult physical abuse, and 30% reported adult emotional abuse (Ansara et al., 2005). Abusive experiences, both past and present, can influence women throughout the childbearing cycle. Below is a summary of what we know so far on how VAW influences women during pregnancy and postpartum.