Postnatal depression and sexual health after childbirth.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the sexual health experiences of depressed and nondepressed postnatal women within a 6-month postnatal period.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study used obstetric records and postal survey 6 months after delivery from a cohort of primiparous women (n = 796) delivering a live-born infant at St. George's NHS Trust, London. Women self-reported sexual problems and sexual behaviors and completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.


RESULTS
Of the 796 parturients, 484 responded (61%), and 468 completed the survey questions on depression and sexual health (97%). Of the latter, 57 (12%) fit the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale criteria. Comparing the depressed with nondepressed women, resumption of sexual activity occurred with 77% versus 90% (P =.003), and the median number of specific sexual problems reported was two versus one, respectively (P =.009).


CONCLUSIONS
Sexual health problems were common after childbirth in both depressed and nondepressed women; however, depressed women were less likely to have resumed intercourse at 6 months and more likely to report sexual health problems. Given the frequency of sexual health problems, postnatal sexual morbidity cannot be assumed to be simply a product of the depressed mental state.
Morof
Diane
D
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. dmorof@caregroup.harvard.edu
Barrett
Geraldine
G
Peacock
Janet
J
Victor
Christina R
CR
Manyonda
Isaac
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires