Health problems many Irish women quietly endure after giving birth have been uncovered by a new medical study.
he Trinity College Dublin (TCD) research shows how new moms deal with conditions related to urinary incontinence and pelvic pain, along with sexual and mental health problems.
The data from more than 3,000 new mothers at three maternity hospitals explores the trajectory of conditions from pre-pregnancy to 12 months after delivery.
Associate professor of obstetrics at TCD, Deirdre Daly, who led the research team, said the conditions are on “nobody’s radar”.
“There’s been a lot of silence around women’s health and the systems for sharing with women that many of these problems are common, but not normal,” she said.
“And for most women, they can be treated effectively, even with conservative treatments.
“There are some women who have multiple health issues and they are on the serious end, but generally the health issues that we look at are not considered life threatening. But it’s the things that will make you miserable, absolutely miserable and miserable in it. maternity.”
The study, Trajectories of Postpartum Recovery: What’s Known and Not Known, is part of the longitudinal Maternal Health and Maternal Morbidity in Ireland (MAMMI) study.
The authors said that women who experience new stress urinary incontinence — leaking urine when coughing, laughing, sneezing, or during physical activity — during their first pregnancy and who are still symptomatic three months after delivery have an 88 percent risk. to still have symptoms. years later.
Overall, urinary incontinence increased every month or more from 8 percent of women before pregnancy to 22 percent of women 12 months after birth.
The study, which was published in the Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology magazine, found sexual health problems rose from 62 percent before pregnancy to 77 percent three months after giving birth to 64 percent per year after having a baby.
With regard to pelvic girdle pain, it occurred in just over half or 56 percent of women before pregnancy, but it rose to 81 percent three months after birth and 70 percent 12 months after birth.
Depression rose from 10.9 percent before pregnancy to 11.8 percent in women 12 months after delivery, while anxiety rose from 7.1 percent before pregnancy to 9.4 percent 12 months after delivery.
Prof Daly said the fact that maternity care for women stops six weeks after giving birth is a huge barrier for women seeking help with these health problems.
“Many women will be completely healthy and thrive, but there are an awful lot of women who develop health problems and have problems that persist over time,” she said.
“Our maternity care stops when a woman is six weeks postpartum. We know that is much, much too early.
“These are first-time mothers. There is a need for services for women that continue up to three months later.”
The study also found that just over half of the women continued to experience extreme exhaustion or fatigue a year after the birth of their first baby.
In addition, nearly a third experienced regular coughs, colds and minor illnesses or severe headaches or migraines, and some had persistent wound pain.
Three months after birth, one in eight women went to the GP three or more times, one in eight went to the emergency room and one in 20 was readmitted to the hospital three months after giving birth.
The two main reasons for seeking medical attention are breast problems and perineal or caesarean wound-related complications.
Prof Daly added that there were additional effects of conditions such as incontinence.
“You will stop exercising because it triggers [leaking]. Then you’re in this cycle of lack of exercise and weight gain,” she said.
“So you’re in this vicious circle of multiple miserable health conditions that will wear and tear women down.”
However, she said there are treatments for these conditions.
“Regular pelvic floor exercises are known to be effective,” she said. “The first step is knowing it’s not normal and that help is available.”
The paper listed treatment options for women experiencing pelvic girdle pain, including an assessment by a physical therapist for the health of a woman or other suitably qualified practitioner. Treatment options may include exercise and the use of a non-rigid lumbopelvic girdle.
The researchers recommend that clinicians recognize that perinatal mental health is not limited to depression and encompasses the spectrum of mental health problems and diagnoses of mental illness.
Prof Daly also said women should be aware that for the vast majority of women, images of the “Instagram mom” do not reflect real life.
“It’s images of a moment in time when someone has prepared and probably prepared very well,” she said.
She added that women have repeatedly told the MAMMI study that there is no time for women after birth, with care focused primarily on their babies.
“Women then learn that the baby comes first, but you have to put yourself first because if you’re healthy, chances are your baby and your family will do really well too,” she said.
The researchers emphasized that “significant proportions of women were not directly asked about health problems by health care professionals.”
“If women don’t know what is and isn’t normal postpartum, they can suffer in silence and the result is health problems.” [and] problems that are preventable and treatable are likely to become chronic.”