MONDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Eleven weeks after giving birth, new mothers still had an average of 4.1 childbirth-related symptoms, most often fatigue, according to a prospective cohort study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Pat McGovern, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues analyzed data from 661 mothers of singleton infants, who were interviewed at five and 11 weeks postpartum, by which time half had returned to work. The investigators were examining personal and employment-related factors associated with postpartum health in working mothers.
The researchers found that 43.4 percent of mothers reported fatigue at 11 weeks, although this was a drop from 63.8 percent at five weeks. Other common symptoms at 11 weeks included headache (41.6 percent), back or neck pain (37.8 percent), and runny or stuffy nose (36 percent). Social support from family and friends was associated with better postpartum mental health. Lower levels of job stress, more coworker support, and more perceived control over work and home activities were associated with better postpartum health.
"Physicians evaluating postpartum women may want to discuss strategies to promote health, including identification of sources of social support at home and work. Postpartum evaluations should include screening for anxiety and depression and evaluation of fatigue and other physical symptoms, including those related to job stress. Physicians should discuss with women their plans for return to work and possible need for intermittent leave under [the Family and Medical Leave Act]," the authors write.
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