Stressors that are super imposed on reproductive health due to risk conditions or (diseases) before gestation, during pregnancy or after birth are becoming major concerns for health care providers.These stressors add to the usual gestational stress and may contribute to failure of a woman to have a positive reproductive. experience. Asystematic review of literature by Gourounti, et.al. (2015) revealed that women with high risk pregnancy reported levels of depression between 18%-58%. Additional anxiety due to other psychsocial and financial variables were also reported. High risk pregnant women experience aggravated stress and emotional anxiety during gestational period than normal pregnant women. This may include concerns about health of the fetus and themselves, physical discomfort and premature birth. (Lee&Lee, 2016). According to Vianna, et. al. (2011), stress may affect 18% of all pregnant women and exposure to high maternal stress induces high levels of cortisol which affect fetal intrauterine life and may contribute to intrauterine growth restriction as well as cardiovascular and endocrine altrations. This results in increased mortalities and morbidities such às fetal loss, premature birth and low birth weight. Recently, research has focused on the physical as well as psychosocial aspects of normal reproduction, however high risk reproduction with imposed psychosocial stressors due to risk conditions or diseases that can influence the whole reproductive health is understudied. While high risk pregnancy has been undertaken as part of reproductive health, the pre and post getational periods need to be equally addressed. Therefore, the aim of this research special issue is to focus on the physical as well as psychsocial stressors influencing reproductive health.

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