Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2015 Sep;42(3):254-60.
doi: 10.1111/birt.12168. Epub 2015 Jun 19.

Maternal Physical Health Symptoms in the First 8 Weeks Postpartum Among Primiparous Australian Women

Amanda R Cooklin  1 , Lisa H Amir  1 , Jennifer Jarman  1 , Meabh Cullinane  1 , Susan M Donath  2   3 ; CASTLE Study Team
Affiliations
Observational Study

Maternal Physical Health Symptoms in the First 8 Weeks Postpartum Among Primiparous Australian Women

Amanda R Cooklin et al. Birth. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Background: To describe prospectively the extent, onset, and persistence of maternal physical health symptoms (cesarean delivery pain, perineal pain, back pain, constipation, hemorrhoids, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, and fatigue) in the first 8 weeks postpartum.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 229 primiparous women was recruited antenatally from a public and a private maternity hospital, Melbourne, Australia, between 2009 and 2011. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. Main outcome measures were a checklist of maternal health symptoms and a standardized assessment of fatigue symptoms.

Results: Birth-related pain was common at week 1 (n = 80/88, 91% cesarean delivery pain; n = 92/125, 74% perineal pain), and still present for one in five women who had a cesarean birth (n = 17, 18%) at week 8. Back pain was reported by approximately half the sample at each study interval, with 25 percent (n = 48) reporting a later onset at week 2 or beyond. Fatigue was not relieved between 4 and 8 weeks.

Conclusions: Women experience significant morbidity in the early weeks postpartum, the extent of which may have been underestimated in previous research relying on retrospective recall. Findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that supports early identification, treatment, and support for women's physical health problems in the postpartum.

Keywords: maternal morbidity; postnatal health; postnatal health care; postnatal recovery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources