Although associations have been described between life events and the incidence of perinatal complications, research has been limited by the lack of life event scales appropriate to obstetric groups. We report the development of such scales for primiparous and multiparous women. High ranking items from existing general life event scales as well as items relevant only to pregnant women were included. The degree of resultant distress was rated by visual analogue scales, and the frequency of each life event was assessed. High internal consistency was demonstrated for each of the scales and their general utility is suggested by the similar rank ordering of ratings in the primiparous and multiparous samples. Approximately one-third of the highest rating items on the scales were pregnancy related, supporting the view that scales measuring the stress of life events should include items relevant to the particular group of respondents.