Excessive worry about the baby’s health is a consistent red flag that suggests a woman is at risk of significant pregnancy-related anxiety, according to UK researchers who are developing a new tool GPs can use to pick up at-risk patients.

The University of Stirling team identified reliable indicators of antenatal anxiety, following a systematic review of all studies conducted over the past 30 years.

The review was undertaken to address gaps in diagnosis because the current diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorder does not differentiate between general and antenatal anxiety, they wrote in British Journal of Psychiatry Open.

“The symptoms identified are now being used to develop a short and easy-to-complete screening tool to identify women experiencing more serious antenatal anxiety – and rule out women who are experiencing normal pregnancy-related anxiety,” said lead researcher Andrea Sinesi, from the University’s Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit.