A Pregnant Woman’s Having A C-section Could Be Increased Depression

Anxiety and depression in women who are pregnant may also contribute to increased rates of deliveries that require a c section after they had already been linked to a reduction in the weight of the baby and birthing before the term.

The study that associated mood and anxiety disorders to first-time c-sections among women who were at low risk while being pregnant was one of the largest to document such a phenomenon.

A Pregnant Woman’s Having A C-section Could Be Increased Depression

Dr. Vanessa Dalton, an ob-gyn, said that their findings reinforce the importance of identifying and treating perinatal depression better. In addition to this, anxiety disorders also need to be treated better.

She works at the University of Michigan.

She said that it is important to understand the association between c-section deliveries and mood disorders. She added that the long-term health consequences for both babies and their moms are already well known.

National data was used by the team for over 360,000 deliveries for women between the years 2008 and 2017.

The women were between the ages 15 and 44 and were insured with commercial insurance.

One of the significant predictors of having a c-section delivery repeated is having a prior c-section, which 24% of women had for the first time.

The authors said that when compared to women who did not have anxiety or depression, women who had a prenatal diagnosis of anxiety or depression had a 3.5% higher probability of having a c-section.

It is not clear what the reasons for the relationship are.

According to the study, prenatal anxiety sometimes arises out of the fear of delivering a baby, and sometimes, doctors provide the option of having a c-section in order to calm their patients down and this option is exercised very often.

Placental development may also be affected by maternal distress.

Symptoms of fetal distress during labor can also be caused in this case and this could result in a c-section.

According to Dalton, further studies are required.

He said that in order to clarify the relationship between perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and primary c-section rates, more research is required.

The consequences of these disorders for the outcomes of health can be better understood by more research.

She said that efforts to develop and evaluate effective treatments could be helped along with policy interventions.

According to the study, 1 out of every 5 women of reproductive age in the United States is affected by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Between 2006 and 2015, their prevalence was more than doubled among women who were bearing a child.

In the year before or after birth, thoughts of suicide and self-harm also increased.

Dalton said that the fact that mental health is of the utmost importance is being recognized more and more every single day.

He added that following the delivery, maternal suicide risk is very high for a year.

Other risks are carried by c-sections.

These risks are blood clots, infection, risks to pregnancies in the future, and hemorrhaging.

Dalton said that a major contributing factor to maternal morbidity events in c-sections, especially after delivery. He added that this has many adverse downstream effects.

He added that we needed to understand all the factors that may contribute to an increase in the chances that a woman might need a c-section delivery. This needs to be done in order to avoid any unnecessary risks.

Many public health and professional societies in the United States have endorsed the Health People 2030 goal which aims to reduce first-time c-sections by 2.3% at least, by 2030.