Postpartum depression is a frequent complication of childbirth. Postpartum depression is associated with disruptions in interpersonal relationships, and the puerperium is a period of major role transition. In contrast to other subtypes of depression, however, postpartum depression often is not treated with medication, which is relatively contraindicated for women who are breastfeeding. Interper...

INTRODUCTION Postpartum screening for glucose intolerance among women with recent histories of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is important for identifying women with continued glucose intolerance after birth, yet screening rates are suboptimal. In a thorough review of the literature, we found no studies of screening practices among certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). The objectives of our stu...

Background: Concern that long-term weight retention after pregnancy contributes to obesity underscores the need to identify factors that facilitate postpartum weight loss. Lactation is believed to facilitate postpartum weight loss and fat loss. Calcium intake also has been hypothesized to promote weight loss and fat loss. Objective: We addressed the following questions: 1) whether lactation enh...

OBJECTIVES To analyze data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 21 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to examine patterns of interpregnancy intervals, unmet need, pregnancy risk and family planning method use and method mix among women 0-23 months postpartum. STUDY DESIGN Secondary analysis of postpartum women aged 15-49 years in 22 DHS surveys from 21 LMICs con...

Acute blood loss in the postpartum period is the primary cause of maternal death worldwide [1] and postpartum hemorrhage complicates 4-6% of births [2]. In most cases of postpartum hemorrhage, bleeding from the genital tract is the source of the blood loss. Uterine atony accounts for 80% of postpartum hemorrhage [2] and genital tract injury, uterine inversion or rupture, genital tract or retrop...

The treatment goal for postpartum metritis (e.g., endometritis, postpuerperal metritis, toxic puerperal metritis, pyometra) is to facilitate the timely clearance of the infection and return the animal to a normal reproductive state. Clinical signs associated with postpartum metritis range from temporary and self-limiting signs to chronic or life-threatening ones. Choosing an appropriate treatme...

Postpartum major depression is a disorder that is often unrecognized and must be distinguished from "baby blues." Antenatal depressive symptoms, a history of major depressive disorder, or previous postpartum major depression significantly increase the risk of postpartum major depression. Screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale may be appropriate. Some women with postpartum major...

The aims of the study were (1) to establish the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in the community sample, (2) to determine the stability and (3) the longitudinal pattern of elevated depression from pregnancy to postpartum. A sample of 272 women filled out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) on three occasions: in the third trimester of pregnancy at the prenatal clinic, 2 da...

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of postpartum intrauterine device insertion and to demonstrate that the postpartum intrauterine device is acceptable to women. Women attending prenatal care at a maternity hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi were recruited into a trial comparing immediate (10 minutes to 48 hours) to 6 week postpartum insertion. Fe...