Psychological sequelae in women following either parturition or non-gynaecological surgery

Childbirth, in 10% of cases, is followed by an affective disorder. However, whether this is specifically due to parturition or reflects a generalized stress response is unclear. This prospective study uses the Profile of Mood States to assess mood in 96 women before and after parturition and, unlike previous studies, compares the results with those from women undergoing non-gynaecological surgery (n = 33) and a control group (n = 44). Results indicated that women in the puerperal group experienced significantly more positive mood on average than either the surgical group or the control group. In addition criterion analysis indicated that the prevalence of depressive symptomatology was similar across all three groups. Hence, these findings question the notion of an affective disorder which is specific to the post-partum.