Integrative Review of Research on General Health Status and Prevalence of Common Physical Health Conditions of Women After Childbirth

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2008.02.004

Women's Health Issues

Volume 18, Issue 4, July–August 2008, Pages 267-280

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2008.02.004 Get rights and content

Purpose

Postpartum mothers experience certain physical health conditions that may affect their quality of life, future health, and health of their children. Yet, the physical health of postpartum mothers is relatively neglected in both research and practice. The purpose of this review is to describe the general health status and prevalence of common physical health conditions of postpartum mothers.

Methods

The review followed standard procedures for integrative literature reviews. Twenty-two articles were reviewed from searches in scientific databases, reference lists, and an up-to-date survey. Three tables were designed to answer review questions.

Findings

In general, postpartum mothers self-rate their health as good. They experience certain physical conditions such as fatigue/physical exhaustion, sleep-related problems, pain, sex-related concerns, hemorrhoids/constipation, and breast problems.

Conclusions

Despite a limited number of studies, the findings provide a glimpse of the presence of a number of physical health conditions experienced by women in the 2 years postpartum. In the articles reviewed, physical health conditions and postpartum period were poorly defined, no standard scales existed, and the administration of surveys varied widely in time. Those disparities prevented systematic comparisons of results and made it difficult to gain a coherent understanding of the physical health conditions of postpartum mothers. More longitudinal research is needed that focuses on the etiology, predictors, and management of the health conditions most prevalent among postpartum mothers. Instruments are needed that target a broader range of physical conditions in respect to type and severity.

Section snippets

Methods

The present study followed the guidelines for integrated literature reviews suggested by Whittemore and Knafl (2005). First, the purpose of the review and review questions were formulated; the main concepts (general health and physical health conditions) were defined as described and search methods (search in scientific databases and reference lists of review articles) were selected. Second, inclusion and exclusion criteria were established for the selection of articles. For this review, only

General Health Status

To measure the general health status of women after childbirth, researchers in the reviewed studies used the SF-36 or SF-12, number of days ill or hospitalized, and a self-rated health scale (Table 2). Findings from a study conducted in Sweden showed that 91.4% of women at 2 months postpartum rated their health as good/very good, but the rate decreased to 85.7% at 12 months postpartum (Schytt et al., 2005). Similarly, results from a study conducted in the United States found that 88% of women

Discussion

Despite a limited number of published investigations, the current study's findings provide a glimpse of the presence of a number of physical health conditions experienced by women up to 2 years after childbirth. Almost all of the women in the reviewed studies encountered ≥1 physical health condition at some point during their first year postpartum. Regardless of the country surveyed and the sample size, within 1 month postpartum, more than one third of the women experienced pain in various body

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully appreciate Dr. Lorraine O. Walker for her support and insightful guidance in composing the article.

Ching-Yu Cheng is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focus is on maternal health, especially on health disparities. She is currently conducting a biobehavioral research of maternal stress and health status.

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Dietary Patterns Associated with General Health of Breastfeeding Women 1–2 Months Postpartum: Data from the Japanese Human Milk Study Cohort
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Four dietary patterns were identified in this study. The versatile vegetable diet, characterized by a high intake of vegetables, mushrooms, seaweeds, and tofu, was associated with maternal age, BMI prepregnancy and during the lactation periods, education, household income, and anemia. The plain Japanese diet contained a high intake of typical Japanese foods such as rice and miso soup and a low intake of bread and some confectioneries and was associated with maternal BMI during both periods. The salad vegetable diet, characterized by a high intake of raw vegetables and tomatoes with mayonnaise or dressing, was associated with parity and season in which data collection was conducted. The seafood diet, characterized by a high intake of fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and shellfish, was associated with days postpartum and sensitivity to cold.
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No differences between MBCP and ECAU in the total group of birthing women were found. However, women with (at least an onset of) labour that participated in MBCP reported a better birth experience compared to ECAU at T3. Concerning the total partner group only one difference between MBCP and ECAU was found at T4; MBCP partners reported an increase in fatigue. However, in the partner risk group (i.e., partners with lower psychological well-being before intervention) partners experienced better psychological well-being at T2 and T3 after MBCP than ECAU.
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Qing Li, an obstetrician and gynecologist in China and a trained perinatal epidemiologist at University of Alabama at Birmingham, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her research interests focus on global health and maternal and child health issues. Dr. Li's studies have been funded by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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ArticleIntegrative Review of Research on General Health Status and Prevalence of Common Physical Health Conditions of Women After Childbirth

Purpose

Methods

Findings

Conclusions

Section snippets

Methods

General Health Status

Discussion

Acknowledgment

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lancet

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Predictors of women's physical health problems after childbirth

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology

Physical health problems after childbirth and maternal depression at six to seven months postpartum

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Postpartum maternal care in the United State: A critical review

Journal of Perinatal Education

Constipation in Australian women: Prevalence and associated factors

International Urogynecology Journal

Listening to mothers II: Report of the second national U.S. survey of women's childbearing experiences

Listening to mothers: Report of the first national U.S. survey of women's childbearing experiences

Sleep patterns and fatigue in new mothers and fathers

Biological Research for Nursing

First-time parents' prenatal to postpartum changes in health, and the relation of postpartum health to work and partner characteristics

The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice

Changes in women's physical health during the first postpartum year

Archives of Family Medicine

Changes in women's mental and physical health from pregnancy through six months postpartum

The Journal of Family Practice

Postnatal maternal morbidity: Extent, causes, prevention and treatment

British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Episiotomy rates around the world: An update

Birth

Neuroendocrine and immune relationships in postpartum fatigue

MCN–American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing

Changes in the health status of women during and after pregnancy

Journal of General Internal Medicine

Prevalence of non-specific health symptoms in South Australia

International Journal of Environmental Health Research

A community-based study of prolonged fatigue and chronic fatigue

Journal of Health Psychology

Article
Integrative Review of Research on General Health Status and Prevalence of Common Physical Health Conditions of Women After Childbirth