Women who experience urinary incontinence after giving birth are almost twice as likely to develop postpartum depression as those without incontinence, according to a new Canadian study from McMaster University published online in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Lead researcher Wendy Sword and her colleagues set out to examine the relationship between mode of delivery and postpartum depression at six weeks following hospital discharge. They evaluated almost 1,900 new mothers and found no association between postpartum depression and mode of delivery, a finding consistent with previous studies.
However their investigation indicated that the five strongest predictors of postpartum depression were: the mother being less than 25-years-old; the mother having to be readmitted to hospital; non-initiation of breastfeeding; good, fair, or poor self-reported postpartum health; and urinary incontinence or involuntary urination.
“We were surprised to find that urinary incontinence is a risk factor for postpartum depression,” said Sword. “Urinary incontinence following childbirth has not received much attention as a factor contributing to postpartum depression and we do not yet fully understand the reasons incontinence is linked to depression.”
Urinary incontinence is not an uncommon problem after giving birth, Sword notes, and although women may be embarrassed by this issue, it’s important they talk to their healthcare providers about their concerns.