There are a few reasons why people experience extra anxiety during pregnancy, explains Catherine Monk , PhD, director of the women's mental health program in Ob/Gyn at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. For starters, hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy are associated with increased anxiety, she says. There are also many psychological factors that can contribute to it, too. For example, if you had a past pregnancy loss or traumatic or sad childhood, that can raise concerns about how you will be as a parent, she says. Handling changes to your job , relationship, and financial situation can also throw you for a loop. "The ever-new experience of pregnancy that is out of one’s control is really disorienting and dis-stabilizing," she says. And finally, if you have a history of anxiety, your symptoms may re-surface during pregnancy, she adds.