Health-care seeking by men in their spouse's pregnancy

This study compares the health-care seeking by 212 married male members of a health maintenance organization of 36,000 whose wives were pregnant, with a group of 212 'nonexpectant' married men matched for age, number of prior children, and HMO membership. Retrospective, blind chart review was used to examine the number and timing of medical visits and the types of symptoms, diagnoses, testing, and treatments recorded over the 21-month period surrounding and including each wife's pregnancy. Contrary to prior reports, the expectant fathers had a significantly lower group visit rate during the nine months of pregnancy when compared to their visit rates before conception and after delivery (p<0.01). The control group had a constant visit rate over the same time intervals. The types of symptoms and diagnoses recorded in the medical record over time were comparable in the two groups. The study suggests that expectant fatherhood, a clearly defined psychosocial event for a male, significantly influences health-care seeking but not the types of symptoms presented or diagnoses made.