A third of new mothers worldwide ‘have lasting health issues after childbirth’
A third of new mothers worldwide ‘have lasting health issues after childbirth’

A third of new mothers worldwide ‘have lasting health issues after childbirth’

Problems such as back pain, incontinence and depression cause widespread suffering but are underrecognised, global review finds
More than 40 million women a year experience lasting health issues after childbirth, a global review has found, prompting calls for greater recognition of common postnatal problems.
The sweeping analysis of maternal health worldwide shows a very high burden of long-term conditions that last for months and even years after giving birth. One in three new mothers worldwide are affected.
The findings emerged from a series published in the Lancet Global Health and eClinicalMedicine, backed by the UN’s Special Programme on Human Reproduction, the World Health Organization and the US Agency for International Development.