Postpartum depression - a medical or a social problem?

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify a group of women needed psychological support after delivery by identifying the medical and social factors that may influence the emotional changes during the postpartum period.Materials and method: A group of 835 pregnant women in second, third trimester of pregnancy, and during the postpartum period completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the questionnaire consisting of difficulties that might occur in the four life fields: practical, family, emotional, and physical. The calculations have been carried out with the statistical package Statistica v10 and Cytel Studio v 9.0.0. At the Faculty of Information Science and Statistics of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.Results: There is a series of medical and social risk factors potentially increasing the risk of postpartum depression, such as psychiatric disorders in the past, difficulties in the professional work, unsatisfactory relationship with partner, and others.Conclusions: Having selected a group of women with risk factors it seems reasonable to apply the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

[Early and late psychological effects of pregnancy loss]. / Wczesne i pózne psychologiczne skutki utraty ciazy.

Pregnancy is not only a medical but also a psychological and social event. There are many situations combined with pregnancy that in medical terms, constitute a risk, danger or failure and result in a wide range of emotional reactions in a woman that require special care and attention for her psychological functioning. The authors of this paper analyzed the situation of women experiencing a miscarriage, intrauterine fetal death and death of a newborn. Early and distant consequences of a pregnancy loss were discussed here especially in the context of a woman's mental health and children of the mothers who had experienced such failure in the past. The aim of this paper was to present an optimal way of taking care of women after pregnancy loss on the basis of the standards that were created in the Gynecological and Obstetrical Clinical Hospital in Poznan.

[Feelings and emotions in women treated for infertility]. / Odczucia i emocje u kobiet leczacych sie z powodu nieplodnosci.

The aim of this study was an assessment of women's moods and emotions during infertil-ity treatment. Sixty married women diagnosed and treated for primary infertility at Division of Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics University of Poznan Medical Sciences from January to April 2003 were included in this study. The average age of women was 28.5 years. Control group consisted of 30 female students at similar age, single, not planning pregnancy in the nearest future. Depression was assessed using Beck scale. The special questionnaire was made to evaluate women's different psychological features connected with infertility. The interviews had a personal character and every question was filled in the questionnaire by the investigator. The first reaction most patients experienced when they found out about infertility was: 1) astonishment 2) sadness 3) anger, and similar was the opinion from the control group. Both the patients and the control group consider that having a baby is: 1) goal of their lives 2) sense of marriage 3) providing a woman with a sense of fulfillment. More than 25% of both groups of women think that infertility is the most important problem for their couples. Economic difficulties seem to be the biggest problem for patients during their treatment of infertility. What is very interesting patients average Beck scale depression score was significantly higher that of control respondents (8,6 points for patients and 4,4 for control group).

[Healing is a form of art--thesis based on daily work observation at a Gynecology-Obstetrics Hospital]. / Leczenie jest sztuka--na podstawie wybranych obszarów dzialalnosci Szpitala Ginekologiczno-Polozniczego.

In the therapeutic process the means of communication between a physician and a patient and the interactions between them constitute an important element of medical procedures. The gynecologist and obstetrician accompany women from their births till late old age. The aim of the study was to describe from the psychological point of view certain situations arising in everyday work in Gynecological-Obstetrical Hospital: motherhood, the place of a newborn and his/her parents in the Neonatal Ward, gynecological surgery, climacteric and senium.

[Quality of life in women with cancers of the reproductive organs--humanistic trends in oncology ]. / Jakosc zycia kobiet chorych na nowotwór narzadu rodnego--humanistyczne watki w onkologii.

Diagnosis of cancer and oncologic treatment create stress which influences estimation of their situation and physical feeling. Permanent development of medical sciences enables discoveries of more effective ways struggling with illness. However taking advantage of scientific development should be followed by constant concern about patients' quality of life.