Women who deliver by cesarean section – whether due to emergency or pre-planning – are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression, according to a new study reported by the Daily Mail.
Researchers at the National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan surveyed over 10,000 mothers and found that those who had delivered by natural childbirth were one-third as likely to suffer from postnatal depression, compared to mothers who delivered by C-section.
Women who had scheduled an elective C-section – often done for convenience or out of fear of natural childbirth – were 48 percent more likely to suffer from depression than those who had an emergency C-section due to complications.
The researchers hypothesize that the increase in depression could be due to feelings of failure or the loss of control when doctors deliver the baby.
Postpartum depression is a form of recognized clinical depression that can affect women following childbirth. The condition usually surfaces within the first few weeks following delivery and can last for up to a year.