[The course of pregnancy in a representative Swiss population (the Aarau Pregnancy and Newborn Infant Study). I. Social medicine aspects].

Excluding multiple births, a cohort of 996 Swiss mothers was interviewed upon admission to the labour ward regarding the overall course of pregnancy, illnesses, disorders, use of drugs, and nicotine and alcohol consumption. During the postnatal stay at the hospital additional information on socioeconomic background, mental and physical stress and the pattern of medical care during pregnancy was obtained. The data are presented and compared with analogous data on the entire female population of the same age group in Switzerland and with epidemiologic reviews of pregnancy events from other countries. This group of pregnant women represents a cross-section of the average mixed small town and rural population of German-speaking Switzerland. The socioeconomic conditions for motherhood appear favorable, though the percentage of women from lower socioeconomic classes was lower than in the general population. Employment during pregnancy had no influence on birthweight and neonatal morbidity, in contrast to chronic physical and emotional stress. On average the women had eight medical checkups during pregnancy.