Childbirth causes long-lasting health problems in many women
More data and awareness about long-term health problems are needed to help women after pregnancy
New research shows that every year at least �� million women could be suffering from childbirthrelated health problems that persist in the long term , shedding light on some of the little-researched side effects of giving birth that are mistakenly considered uncommon .
The researchers acknowledge that over the last decades significant strides have been made to reduce maternal mortality worldwide , but much less attention has been paid to the difficulties women may e�perience months or years after pregnancy . �or e�ample , pain during se� ( dyspareunia ) and low back pain are estimated to occur in about one third of cases , while anal and urinary incontinence and fear of childbirth , as well as secondary infertility , an�iety , and depression , can also reach double digit percentages .
They also found a lack of effective guidelines to support treatment for about �� percent of the �� priority conditions taken into consideration in their study . But this neglect is also due to the fact that postnatal care is usually available for women only during the si� weeks after pregnancy , meaning that problems e�perienced afterwards can slip through the cracks .
The study is part of a broader series titled �aternal health in the perinatal period and beyond . Its opening paper stressed that a holistic approach was paramount to reduce maternal mortality , one that focused not only on the medical causes driving childbirth-related deaths but also on racial and gender ine�uities , economic factors , nutrition , sanitation , and environmental risks .
As a result , the study authors call for a more comprehensive approach to the health of women who give birth over the course of their life .
��aternal health is not �ust something that we should start worrying about when the pregnancy bump appears , � �r �oao �aulo Sou�a , �irector of the �atin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information ( BI���� ) for �AH���H� and one of the authors of the study , said in a press release . �There are many factors that in�uence the likelihood a woman will have a healthy pregnancy , from the environment around her to the political and economic systems she lives in , to access to nutritious food and the level of agency she has over her life � all of these factors need to be addressed to improve her health , alongside access to high �uality healthcare throughout life . �
The authors recommend that policymakers focus on which part of the health service is or should be dedicated to childbirth-related problems , the e�tension and optimisation of postnatal care to better identify and treat such conditions , and support the voices of women and patient groups raising awareness about these issues .
�Greater investment is needed in epidemiological , interventional , and implementation research , as well as evidence-based guidelines for these conditions , to drive positive change , � they wrote in The Lancet Global Health .
Maternal health is not just something that we should start worrying about when the pregnancy bump appears
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 6 | 2023
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