scholarly journals Modes of birth and their impact on the psychological and physical health of women

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Myriam Wieser ◽  
Kleanthi Gourounti ◽  
Antigoni Sarantaki

Objective. The aim of this review was to evaluate the literature concerning modes of birth and their impact on the psychological and physical health of women. Methods. A search was conducted in PubMed Central and Scopus to identify relevant studies in the literature. The searching phrases were “mode of birth” AND “maternal health”. No date restriction was applied. The languages were restricted to English, German, and Greek. Results. Women giving birth through assisted vaginal births, especially by means of forceps, had a higher risk of dealing with different health problems in the postpartum period. Caesarean sections are not able to prevent long-term problems related to incontinence or sexuality. Conclusions. The mode of birth has an impact on the health of women postpartum and in some cases in the long term. Therefore, the mode of birth should be chosen deliberately for each individual woman, while having in mind the possible risks of the different modes of birth. Additionally, further research is needed to highlight the prevalence of postpartum morbidity.

2021 ◽  
pp. 135581962199749
Author(s):  
Veronica Toffolutti ◽  
David Stuckler ◽  
Martin McKee ◽  
Ineke Wolsey ◽  
Judith Chapman ◽  
...  

Objective Patients with a combination of long-term physical health problems can face barriers in obtaining appropriate treatment for co-existing mental health problems. This paper evaluates the impact of integrating the improving access to psychological therapies services (IAPT) model with services addressing physical health problems. We ask whether such services can reduce secondary health care utilization costs and improve the employment prospects of those so affected. Methods We used a stepped-wedge design of two cohorts of a total of 1,096 patients with depression and/or anxiety and comorbid long-term physical health conditions from three counties within the Thames Valley from March to August 2017. Panels were balanced. Difference-in-difference models were employed in an intention-to-treat analysis. Results The new Integrated-IAPT was associated with a decrease of 6.15 (95% CI: −6.84 to −5.45) [4.83 (95% CI: −5.47 to −4.19]) points in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [generalized anxiety disorder-7] and £360 (95% CI: –£559 to –£162) in terms of secondary health care utilization costs per person in the first three months of treatment. The Integrated-IAPT was also associated with an 8.44% (95% CI: 1.93% to 14.9%) increased probability that those who were unemployed transitioned to employment. Conclusions Mental health treatment in care model with Integrated-IAPT seems to have significantly reduced secondary health care utilization costs among persons with long-term physical health conditions and increased their probability of employment.


Author(s):  
Jan Brunson

This chapter analyses the delineation of what counts as a critical period for action and intervention in improving maternal health. Using ethnographic interviews alongside descriptive data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, it analyses two critical junctures for maternal health, the antepartum and postpartum periods, in the context of a particular peri-urban community of Nepal. The postpartum period is socially recognized as sutkeri for Hindu Nepalis, a forty-day period in which a woman who gave birth is considered ritually polluted, but also particularly susceptible to long-term health problems if proper care is not taken for her body in its vulnerable state. This perception of bodily vulnerability and mandated care while sutkeri exists in stark contrast to the absence of such notions and protective practices for the period of pregnancy. Pregnancy, an outwardly visible sign of sexual activity, is a state that one should hide or minimize in order to maintain one’s reputation and honour as a woman. Women worked to conceal their pregnancies, and typically no or little extra care was provided to women to meet their nutritional needs or to enable them to avoid hard physical labour. However, intersecting statuses, such as caste and class, and contexts, such as agricultural households and multi-generational households, crosscut any simple characterizations of the pregnancy and postpartum periods—even within the confines of a subgroup of the Nepali population (Parbatiya) in a single community and place.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Fenwick ◽  
Yvonne Hauck ◽  
Virginia Schmeid ◽  
Satvinder Dhaliwal ◽  
Janice Butt

AIM:To determine the association between mode of birth and physical and psychological health problems reported at 10 weeks postpartum.METHODS:A cross-sectional, self-report survey was completed by 2,699 Western Australian women at 10 weeks postpartum. Information on birth mode and physical and psychological health was sought. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were performed to describe the sample. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between mode of birth and the reported number of physical health problems (two or more and three or more) and two psychological health problems.RESULTS:The occurrence of physical health problems for all women were incontinence (11.5%), no bowel control (2.6%), backache (41%), heavy bleeding (14.1%), and excessive fatigue or tiredness (35.7%). A significant association was found between all cesarean sections (elective and emergency) and the number of physical health problems compared to spontaneous vaginal births. Women who had an emergency cesarean were most likely (OR= 3.15, CI = 2.40–4.13,p< 0.0005) to report two or more physical problems, whereas women who had an elective cesarean were more likely (OR= 2.75, CI = 2.08–3.63,p< 0.0005) to report three or more physical problems.Nearly 15% of women reported being unhappy for more than a few days. This was highest in women having an emergency cesarean (16.4%) and lowest in women giving birth spontaneously (13.5%). Some 6.4% of women stated they were constantly reliving negative thoughts of birth and/or labor. Women who had an emergency cesarean were more likely (OR= 3.10, CI = 1.96–4.89,p< 0.0005) to choose this item and they were also more likely (OR= 2.04, CI = 1.01–4.13,p< 0.047) to experience both psychological health items.CONCLUSION:Women’s reports of health problems within the first 10 weeks postpartum are concerning and warrant ongoing attention. The prevalence of health problems was higher in women who had experienced a cesarean. This information on morbidity postbirth is essential for women and their care providers in making informed decisions around available birth options.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Kállay

Abstract. The last several decades have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of individuals suffering from both diagnosable and subsyndromal mental health problems. Consequently, the development of cost-effective treatment methods, accessible to large populations suffering from different forms of mental health problems, became imperative. A very promising intervention is the method of expressive writing (EW), which may be used in both clinically diagnosable cases and subthreshold symptomatology. This method, in which people express their feelings and thoughts related to stressful situations in writing, has been found to improve participants’ long-term psychological, physiological, behavioral, and social functioning. Based on a thorough analysis and synthesis of the published literature (also including most recent meta-analyses), the present paper presents the expressive writing method, its short- and long-term, intra-and interpersonal effects, different situations and conditions in which it has been proven to be effective, the most important mechanisms implied in the process of recovery, advantages, disadvantages, and possible pitfalls of the method, as well as variants of the original technique and future research directions.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Mourad ◽  
Alytia Levendosky ◽  
G. Bogat ◽  
William Davidson ◽  
Archana Basu

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