Birth trauma and post-traumatic stress
About one woman in eleven has trauma symptoms two months after a cesarean.
In a prospective study across 27 hospitals, a post-traumatic stress symptom profile was present in 9.0% of women two months after a cesarean, and a provisional PTSD diagnosis in 1.7%.
Factors that increased risk: labor induced before the cesarean, postpartum hemorrhage, and high-intensity pain after the operation. Immediate skin-to-skin contact was protective.
9.0%
PTSD symptom profile at 2 months after cesarean
27 hospitals, prospective
1.7%
Provisional PTSD diagnosis
Same study
Note that two of the three risk factors, pain and skin-to-skin contact, are things that can be changed by asking for them in advance. That is why they appear in the operation stage of this tool.
Where this comes from:
332. Froeliger A, Deneux-Tharaux C, Loussert L, Madar H, Sentilhes L. Posttraumatic stress disorder 2 months after cesarean delivery: a multicenter prospective study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024;230(5):543.e1-543.e36.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.