BACKGROUND Research examining long-term health outcomes for women after childbirth has been limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the natural history of common morbidities in the 18 months after the birth of a first child, and to explore the hypothesis that women who have a cesarean section for a first birth experience less overall morbidity in the postnatal period. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Pain after vaginal delivery can interfere with the activities of daily living. We hypothesized that epidural medication administered after delivery would be of benefit for acute postpartum pain management. The objective of this study was to assess whether epidural morphine after vaginal delivery would reduce the analgesic requirements for perineal pain. METHODS This randomized, dou...

BACKGROUND Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare, but serious condition that affects mostly postpartum women. A high index of suspicion is required in order to diagnose this unusual cause of abdominal pain. CASE PRESENTATION A 19-year-old woman at three days postpartum was admitted to our hospital because of severe right lower quandrant abdominal pain and fever 38.5'C. Physical examination ...

AIMS To examine the relationship between specific reasons for stopping breastfeeding and depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. BACKGROUND Difficulty breastfeeding has been connected to postnatal depression although it is unclear whether difficulty breastfeeding precedes or succeeds a diagnosis. However, the concept of 'breastfeeding difficulty' is wide and includes biological, psycholo...

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to describe, on the basis of specific classification criteria and for a period of two years after delivery, the prognosis for women suffering from pregnancy-related pelvic joint pain, and to describe the characteristics influencing the prognosis. METHODS One thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine pregnant women who were booked for delivery at Odense...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether participation in a group fitness class for pregnant women can prevent and treat pelvic girdle pain and low back pain. DESIGN An observer-blinded randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS A total of 105 sedentary, nulliparous pregnant women, mean age 30.7 years (standard deviation (SD) 4.0), mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) 23.8 (SD 4.3), were assigned ...