Women who get pregnant unintentionally are four times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression, according to new research.
Health on Female First
The study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found that postpartum depression was more likely in women with unintended pregnancies at both three and twelve months after birth.
The study, conducted at the University of North Carolina prenatal clinics questioned participants about pregnancy intention at 15-19 weeks gestational age.
The increased risk was highest at 12 months and indicates that this group of women have a long term risk of depression.
Commenting on research , Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said: "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."
When age, education level and poverty status were factored into the results, women with unintended pregnancy were still twice as likely to have postpartum depression at twelve months.
The authors conclude that unintended pregnancy may have a long term effect on maternal wellbeing and clinicians could consider pregnancy intention at antenatal visits and offer appropriate support both during and following the pregnancy.
Dr Rebecca Mercier, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of North Carolina and 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."
Mike Marsh, BJOG Deputy Editor-in-chief said:
"Unintended pregnancy has been linked to poor prenatal care, high risk pregnancy behaviours, increased rates of preterm birth and low birth rate, poor social outcomes in childhood and increased medical costs.
"However, the relationship between unintended pregnancy and poor neonatal outcomes has been studied extensively, but less is known about the effect of unintended pregnancy carried to term on the woman herself. The findings of this study focus on the effects of unintended pregnancy on the mother and we can see a relationship between unintended pregnancy and postpartum depression."
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