08.05.13
Unintended pregnancy could increase likelihood of depression
Women with unintended pregnancy are four times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression, new research suggests.
A study published in the BJOG: International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology followed 433 women with intended pregnancy, 207 with a mistimed pregnancy and 40 with an unwanted pregnancy.
Researchers found that postpartum depression at twelve months was 12% more likely in the latter two groups compared to 3% for women with intended pregnancy. Once the results were adjusted for age, education level and poverty status, mothers with an unintended pregnancy were still twice as likely to suffer from postpartum depression.
The study, conducted at the University of North Carolina, recommended that clinicians should consider pregnancy intention at antenatal visits and offer appropriate support during and following pregnancy.
Dr Rebecca Mercier from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of North Carolina, co-author of the research, said: “While many elements may contribute to postpartum depression, the results of this study show that unintended pregnancy resulting in live birth could also be a contributing factor.
“Unintended pregnancy carried to term may have a long-term effect on women. Healthcare professionals should therefore consider asking about pregnancy at early antepartum visits to screen for unintended pregnancy as women who report that their pregnancy was unintended or unwanted may benefit from earlier or more targeted screening both during and following pregnancy.
“Simple, low-cost screening interventions to identify women at risk could allow targeted intervention when appropriate and could potentially prevent complications from future unintended pregnancies.”
Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, commented: “Whilst this research was done in a country with a very different system to the UK, it does flag-up the importance of early access to midwives and maternity services for pregnant women. It also demonstrates the importance of postnatal care and the continued involvement of the midwife after the birth so that any problems can be identified and treated.
“We are seriously short of midwives in England and we know that postnatal care is suffering because of this. We are hearing of midwives having to make fewer postnatal visits, if at all. This is a concern because the problems this research highlights may go undetected and the consequences of this can be serious, for the women, for families and for the health service.”
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