KEY POINTS:
Any link between women giving birth by caesarean section and later suffering post-natal depression is unconvincing, university medical researchers have found.
A team from the department of psychological medicine at Otago University, Christchurch, has dismissed any clear links between the two after reviewing international studies.
Dr Frances Carter and colleagues reviewed the studies after concerns expressed since the 1970s that having a caesarean section put women at risk of developing depression after childbirth.
"The results of this review will be reassuring for women in New Zealand who may have a caesarean section as they don't indicate a clear link between caesarean births and later post-natal depression," Dr Carter said.
She said many studies had examined the issue and several had been large and well-conducted.
The issue was relevant to women because having a baby by caesarean section was now relatively common in the developed world - greater than 20 per cent in recent years - and post-natal depression affected about 10 per cent of women.
Key findings of the review:
* Most studies had not found a link between caesarean section and post-natal depression.
* The better the study, in terms of its methodology, the less likely the study was to find a link.
* When data from similar studies was pooled and then analysed, a link wasn't found.
* Caesarean section did not seem to be a risk factor of special significance in comparison with other known risk factors.
Dr Carter said the impact of caesarean section on mood might depend on the context in which the caesarean section occurred, including cultural norms, preparedness and the social support available to women.
She said it was important to note that the review looked specifically at caesarean section and post-natal depression. It did not examine the link between caesarean section and anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The findings did not rule out the possibility that for individual women a caesarean section could be a factor in the development of post-natal depression.
- NZPA
