Type of delivery and self-reported postpartum symptoms among Iranian women

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between mode of delivery and self-reported postpartum among women eight weeks postpartum. A cross-sectional study was conducted on postpartum women with symptoms. A total of 300 individuals over 16 years (155 with normal vaginal delivery and 145 with elective cesarean section) from ten primary healthcare centers in an urban area of Amol, Mazandaran, Iran were selected using a clustering random sampling technique. A standard questionnaire named Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) was used to assess depressive symptom. Most women (98.3%) reported at least one postpartum symptom at eight weeks postpartum. The most prevalent postpartum symptoms were excessive tiredness or fatigue (72.2%), pain (65.7%) and backache (61.3%). There was a decrease in percentage of occurrence of sexual problems (p = 0.009) with elective cesarean section at postpartum was founded. Compared with women having vaginal delivery, cesarean delivery women were more likely to report headaches (OR = 2.5; CI = 1.493, 4.289) and less to report sexual problems (OR = 0.594; CI = 0.362, 0.975) during postpartum. It would be useful to provide a defined standard for postpartum care and apply regular postpartum visits in primary health care centers, hospital, and home visits and restricting mediolateral episiotomy.