Postnatal depression and sexual health after childbirth
Postnatal depression and sexual health after childbirth
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sexual health experiences of depressed and nondepressed postnatal women within a 6-month postnatal period. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used obstetric records and postal survey 6 months after delivery from a cohort of primiparous women (n = 796) delivering a live-born infant at St. George's NHS Trust, London. Women self-reported sexual problems and sexual behaviors and completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. RESULTS: Of the 796 parturients, 484 responded (61%), and 468 completed the survey questions on depression and sexual health (97%). Of the latter, 57 (12%) fit the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale criteria. Comparing the depressed with nondepressed women, resumption of sexual activity occurred with 77% versus 90% (P =.003), and the median number of specific sexual problems reported was two versus one, respectively (P =.009). CONCLUSION: Sexual health problems were common after childbirth in both depressed and nondepressed women; however, depressed women were less likely to have resumed intercourse at 6 months and more likely to report sexual health problems. Given the frequency of sexual health problems, postnatal sexual morbidity cannot be assumed to be simply a product of the depressed mental state
behaviors, time, fecal incontinence, postnatal depression, scale, infant, delivery, methods, cohort, nhs, london, childbirth, cross-sectional studies, health, vaginal delivery, parity, women, prevalence, community, behavior, england, postpartum, activity, depression, report, pregnancy, morbidity
1318-1325
Morof, Diane
09ef363c-9f60-40a5-a5af-5b87b06948f1
Barrett, Geraldine
8d9a3ad9-e3cf-4cd8-9b38-4244d4871e08
Peacock, Janet
62df4239-ae7e-44cf-aa3c-3c2e7f1e511c
Victor, Christina R.
0bd2e4a8-94b1-4212-9734-4497621b9aa4
Manyonda, Isaac
17f617cf-7735-42eb-88d4-521f8c238f4e
1 December 2003
Morof, Diane
09ef363c-9f60-40a5-a5af-5b87b06948f1
Barrett, Geraldine
8d9a3ad9-e3cf-4cd8-9b38-4244d4871e08
Peacock, Janet
62df4239-ae7e-44cf-aa3c-3c2e7f1e511c
Victor, Christina R.
0bd2e4a8-94b1-4212-9734-4497621b9aa4
Manyonda, Isaac
17f617cf-7735-42eb-88d4-521f8c238f4e
Morof, Diane, Barrett, Geraldine, Peacock, Janet, Victor, Christina R. and Manyonda, Isaac
(2003)
Postnatal depression and sexual health after childbirth.
Obstetrics & Gynecology, 102 (6), .
(doi:10.1016/j.obstetgynecol.2003.08.020).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sexual health experiences of depressed and nondepressed postnatal women within a 6-month postnatal period. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used obstetric records and postal survey 6 months after delivery from a cohort of primiparous women (n = 796) delivering a live-born infant at St. George's NHS Trust, London. Women self-reported sexual problems and sexual behaviors and completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. RESULTS: Of the 796 parturients, 484 responded (61%), and 468 completed the survey questions on depression and sexual health (97%). Of the latter, 57 (12%) fit the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale criteria. Comparing the depressed with nondepressed women, resumption of sexual activity occurred with 77% versus 90% (P =.003), and the median number of specific sexual problems reported was two versus one, respectively (P =.009). CONCLUSION: Sexual health problems were common after childbirth in both depressed and nondepressed women; however, depressed women were less likely to have resumed intercourse at 6 months and more likely to report sexual health problems. Given the frequency of sexual health problems, postnatal sexual morbidity cannot be assumed to be simply a product of the depressed mental state
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Published date: 1 December 2003
Keywords:
behaviors, time, fecal incontinence, postnatal depression, scale, infant, delivery, methods, cohort, nhs, london, childbirth, cross-sectional studies, health, vaginal delivery, parity, women, prevalence, community, behavior, england, postpartum, activity, depression, report, pregnancy, morbidity
Organisations:
Medicine
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 62000
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/62000
ISSN: 0029-7844
PURE UUID: 6eb07c2b-ed74-4250-9704-153bf627218d
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Date deposited: 10 Sep 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:29
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Author:
Diane Morof
Author:
Geraldine Barrett
Author:
Janet Peacock
Author:
Christina R. Victor
Author:
Isaac Manyonda
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