Comparison of long-term health problems following childbirth among Asian and Caucasian mothers.

While obstetric problems in Asian women have been documented, little is known about longer term health problems following childbirth. This study compares long-term postpartum morbidity in Asian and Caucasian women who had had an infant at a Birmingham maternity unit between 1978 and 1985. A total of 11,701 women returned the questionnaire asking about their experience of a list of 25 health problems. It was found that backache, frequent headaches, shoulderache and pains and weakness in the arms and legs all occurred more commonly among the 530 Asian women than in Caucasian women, even after standardizing for confounding factors. All these symptoms started within three months of the birth, lasted more than six weeks and had not previously been experienced. Most symptoms persisted for more than a year, and even after several years, many had not resolved. The possible role of vitamin D deficiency and the value of antenatal vitamin D supplements are discussed.