Department of Health Promoting Science, Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Science Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Health Promoting Science, Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden; Theme Children´ s & Women's Health, PA Pregnancy Care and Delivery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Midwifery. 2021 Dec;103:103098. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2021.103098. Epub 2021 Jul 13.
To describe women's experiences of chronic pain related to childbirth approximately one year after labour.
A qualitative design with face-to-face interviews analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.
Twenty women who reported chronic pain, with onset during pregnancy and/or following labour, approximately one year after childbirth.
The analysis revealed an essential theme, "Grieving over the past and struggling forward", and three categories "Mourning the losses", "Struggling with the present" and "Managing the future".
This study provides new knowledge about women's experiences of chronic pain one year after childbirth. The pain severely reduced women´s previous ability to perform physical and social activities, negatively impacted psychological well-being and altered their self-image. Most of the women adopted a positive attitude and hoped for improved health in the future, although constantly struggling with the pain and its consequences.
This knowledge is particularly important as chronic pain may not diminish with time in predisposed individuals who may need help and support from health professionals in their endeavour to manage their pain. Healthcare providers, i.e. midwives, gynaecologists and general practitioners need to understand women´s experiences of chronic pain from their own perspective to improve identification and treatment of pain following childbirth, thus preventing women's suffering and potential long-term health problems. Future studies are warranted to further explore and discuss women's coping strategies, health seeking behaviour and experiences of health care.
描述女性在分娩后大约一年时与分娩相关的慢性疼痛体验。
采用面对面访谈的定性设计，采用归纳定性内容分析进行分析。
20 名报告有慢性疼痛的女性，这些疼痛在妊娠期间和/或分娩后开始，大约在分娩后一年出现。
分析揭示了一个基本主题，“对过去的悲伤和对未来的挣扎”，以及三个类别“对失去的哀悼”、“对现在的挣扎”和“对未来的管理”。
本研究提供了有关女性分娩后一年慢性疼痛体验的新知识。疼痛严重降低了女性以前进行身体和社会活动的能力，对心理健康产生负面影响，并改变了她们的自我形象。大多数女性采取了积极的态度，并希望未来健康状况有所改善，尽管她们一直在与疼痛及其后果作斗争。
由于易患慢性疼痛的个体的疼痛可能不会随着时间的推移而减轻，因此这些知识尤为重要，他们可能需要健康专业人员的帮助和支持来努力管理自己的疼痛。医疗保健提供者，即助产士、妇科医生和全科医生，需要从女性自身的角度理解她们的慢性疼痛体验，以改善产后疼痛的识别和治疗，从而避免女性的痛苦和潜在的长期健康问题。未来的研究有必要进一步探讨和讨论女性的应对策略、寻求健康的行为以及对医疗保健的体验。
