Affiliation of Postpartum Depression with Mode of Delivery; A Disregarded Domain

Abstract

Background: Postpartum Depression is a serious issue that can lead to irreversible disasters if not timely recognized and diagnosed. There are various modes of delivery; which may contribute towards physical and mental trauma.

Methods: It was a prospective descriptive cross- sectional study carried out to evaluate the alliance of postnatal depression with different modes of delivery i.e. vaginal or lower segment caesarean section. The study was conducted at Ziauddin University Hospital. A sample size of 200 was taken. It was carried out from June 2019 to December 2019. A Performa was designed that questioned about different socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for post-natal depression (PND). Edinburg Post-Natal Depression Scale (EPNDS) was used for authenticated identification of women with depression in purpeurium.

Results: Out of the total sample of 200 women, 100 were taken from the spontaneous vaginal delivery group and 100 from cesarean section group. Mean age was 21-34 years. It was noticed that 60% women who underwent cesarean section became a victim of depression and 40% women who had a normal vaginal delivery were identified to have post natal depression.

Conclusion: The study identifies cesarean section to be one of the culprits of postnatal depression as compared to woman undergoing spontaneous vaginal delivery.  There is an exponential rise in the frequency of performing unexplained cesarean sections that would also boost up the graphs of postnatal depression; hence there is a dire need to instruct women to follow up postnatal so that they can be evaluated for post partum depression.