Every year, at least 40 million women are likely to experience a long-term health problem caused by childbirth, new study published in The Lancet Global Health journal has found.
Researchers found that the symptom of experiencing pain during sexual intercourse, or dyspareunia, affected more than a third of such postpartum women (35 per cent), while 32 per cent of these women experienced low back pain.
Other symptoms affecting postnatal women included involuntary urination (8-31 per cent), anxiety (9-24 per cent), depression (11-17 per cent) and perineal pain (11 per cent), which refers to pain in the general region between the anus and the genital organs, the international team of researchers including those from the World Health Organization (WHO) said in their study.
Their study showed that a high burden of postnatal conditions persisted in the months or even years after giving birth. However, many of these occur beyond the point where women typically have access to postnatal services.
The authors thus called for a greater recognition within the healthcare system of these common problems.
Effective care throughout pregnancy and childbirth is also a critical preventive factor to detect risks and avert complications that can lead to lasting health issues after birth, they said.