Women’s Quality of Life at 6 Weeks Postpartum: Influence of the Discomfort Present in the Puerperium

Abstract

Background: Discomfort during the puerperium period is very frequent in the lives of women but the influence of this discomfort on the women’s quality of life has been little studied. The objective of this study is to establish the association between discomfort and frequent problems of women in the puerperium and their quality of life score. Methods: A cross-sectional study on postpartum Spanish women was performed. Women older than 18 years and who had had a live birth were included. Less than 1% of women refused to participate in the study. Data were collected on socio-demographic, obstetric and newborn variables, on maternal problems/ discomfort in the postnatal period and on parameters that are quality of life indicators. An ad hoc online questionnaire which included the SF-36 Health Survey was used. Crude mean difference (cMD) and adjusted mean difference (aMD) were calculated through multiple linear regression. Results: 2990 women participated in the study. The greater problems causing quality of life loss were depressive symptoms (aMD = −12.40, CI 95%: −10.79, −14.01), lactation problems (aMD = −4.30, CI 95%: −2.97, −5.63), problems for sexual intercourse after childbirth (aMD = −6.34, CI 95%: −5.07, −7.60) and urinary incontinence (aMD = −4.97, CI 95%: −6.30, −3.65), among others. These have been detected as risk factors that affect the quality of life of the postpartum woman. Conclusions: The discomfort and problems manifested in the 6 weeks after childbirth have an influence that deeply affects the quality of life of postpartum women.

Determinants of Maternal Health-Related Quality of Life after Childbirth: The Generation R Study

“…Though adjusted by other variables, results from the regression analyses show that the difference between the above two groups is still large in terms of clinical relevance; maternal psychopathology after childbirth was profoundly associated with worse mental HRQoL. Our finding is consistent with previous studies [9,38]. Emmanuel et al found that even when they controlled for other confounding variables, having psychopathological symptoms was significantly associated with lower HRQoL in the period from late pregnancy to 12 weeks after childbirth [38].…”

“…Emmanuel et al found that even when they controlled for other confounding variables, having psychopathological symptoms was significantly associated with lower HRQoL in the period from late pregnancy to 12 weeks after childbirth [38]. Martínez-Galiano et al found that a significant decrease in HRQoL occur in women with depressive symptoms and anxiety [9]. In the early postpartum period, psychopathological symptoms have been shown to affect women’s ability to function, mental health status, inter-personal relationships, social engagement, and overall quality of life [39].…”

“…Giving birth by a woman and adaptations during weeks after childbirth may have a significant impact on women’s HRQoL. Issues mentioned in the literature such as urinary incontinence and other common health problems may affect HRQoL [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. In addition, women’s HRQoL after childbirth may be affected by factors related to pregnancy and delivery [12,14,15], by infant’s health [16], and by non-medical factors, such as race, maternal age, and socioeconomic status [10,17,18].…”

“…Relatively high maternal age may increase the risk of some adverse physical and mental health outcomes [19,20], which may impair HRQoL. Insight in the factors associated with women’s HRQoL after childbirth is needed to develop appropriate health interventions [9]. However, associations between some factors, such as maternal age, mode of delivery, and HRQoL after childbirth are not consistent across studies [12].…”

The Effect of Exercise on Postpartum Women’s Quality of Life: A Systematic Review

“…This period is characterized by physiological, physical, social and emotional changes for the mothers and their families that require the members therein to take on new roles and responsibilities (Ahmadi et al, 2014). Most problems occur in the first days of this period and last for six weeks and up to one year after delivery (Martínez-Galiano et al, 2019). The symptoms include fatigue, sleep disorders, nausea, anxiety, depression, sexual problems, physical function and dissatisfaction with partner support (Bahrami, Karimian, & Bahrami, 2014;Insana, Costello, & Montgomery-Downs, 2011;Medina, Lederhos, & Lillis, 2009;Parker et al, 2015).…”