Motherhood

Chronic pain after caesarean delivery is associated with poorer quality of life and disrupted daily functioning months and years after birth, new research has revealed. A review of 30 studies involving 28,295 women found persistent pain was associated with difficulties affecting activity, walking, work, sleep, mood, fatigue and, in some cases, sexual function. The authors [...]

A £254m UK funding package will expand reproductive health access for millions of women and girls across 54 countries. The government said the investment will support family planning for more than 15 million women each year and could prevent 14 million unintended pregnancies and more than 35,000 maternal deaths by 2028. The funding will expand [...]

UK parents affected by pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will gain a legal right to up to two weeks of unpaid leave from April 2027. The entitlement will cover miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers, giving those affected a formal right to time away from work following a loss.   It will [...]

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised after a human error caused 11 years of maternity data to be overwritten. The incident happened during routine technical work on 18 August, when computer instructions intended to create a copy of a radiotherapy database were mistakenly applied to the maternity database. Most of the affected information has [...]

The Scottish government has launched a national review into whether NHS IVF access should be extended to single women. The review will also consider whether wider access should be offered to couples who have children from previous relationships. Health secretary Angela Constance said: “Access to NHS IVF treatment should be fair, timely and reflect the [...]

Thousands of UK women develop undiagnosed PTSD after childbirth each year, with at least 15,000 cases going undetected, researchers say. The true number could be double that or more, according to an evidence review of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can involve symptoms including nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and persistent negative thoughts. Research estimates suggest [...]

Health visitor support may help women who quit smoking during pregnancy remain smoke-free after giving birth, research suggests. The BabyBreathe programme was designed to help women who stopped smoking before or during pregnancy avoid returning to smoking after childbirth. The programme was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and tested by [...]

A single day of inhaled psychedelic treatment may relieve postpartum depression symptoms, with effects lasting for a week, early research suggests. Postpartum depression is a severe mood disorder that affects women after giving birth. Symptoms can include extreme sadness, anxiety, changes in sleep and eating habits and difficulty bonding with a baby. The condition affects [...]

One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes, after diagnoses of the condition rose by 60 per cent in just five years, according to a major study. The research found that rates of gestational diabetes increased from around 8 per cent of pregnancies in 2018 to more than 12 per cent [...]

Parenthood is associated with changes in women’s health that are not seen in men, including reduced exercise and differences in wellbeing, new research has revealed. Men’s health indicators varied only slightly depending on whether they were fathers, while the number and age of children were linked to changes in women’s health. Anna Barbuscia, of the [...]