PTSD symptoms ‘common among postpartum women’

A new Tel Aviv University study has found a surprisingly high prevalence of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women.

According to the research, around one-third of all women exhibit some symptoms of PTSD during the postnatal period, with full-blown PTSD developing among a small percentage of women due to the trauma associated with labour.

Of those women affected by these symptoms, 80 percent underwent a natural childbirth with no pain relief, while other key factors include concerns over body image, fear during labour and stress relating to complications with the birthing process.

Professor Rael Strous of the university's Sackler Faculty of Medicine said some of these issues can be addressed with better counselling, as well as by making sure that patients' bodies are properly covered during delivery.

He explained: "Dignity is a factor that should be taken into account. It's an issue of ethics and professionalism, and now we can see that it does have physical and psychological ramifications."

This comes after the British government announced plans in May 2012 to invest more in improving the standard of care for new mothers under the NHS, with particular attention given to those suffering postnatal depression.