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• Posted August 25, 2026

Symptoms After Childbirth Can Cause Depression, Low Self-Esteem

Childbirth can be tough on a woman’s body and their self-esteem might plummet if minor post-delivery health problems prompt shame, embarrassment and depression, a new study says.

Women with pain, bleeding and itching caused by postpartum issues with their pelvic floor or bowels have a higher risk of depression and low self-esteem, researchers reported recently in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. 

“Chronic symptoms such as pain, fecal or gas incontinence, or difficulty with bowel movements can cause discomfort, a sense of losing control over one’s own body and lower self-esteem,” said researcher Justyna Mazurek, an associate professor in medical rehabilitation at Wroclaw Medical University in Poland.

"They may also lead to social isolation and reduced participation in family or professional life," she added in a news release.

For the new study, researchers assessed 120 women ages 18 or older three months after they delivered a child. They filled out questionnaires assessing their postpartum symptoms, self-esteem and depression.

About 46% of the women reported ongoing pain; 43%, bleeding; and 42%, itching, researchers found.

As their symptoms grew more severe, the women were more likely to have depression and lower self-esteem, the study said.

Additionally, women who gave birth vaginally were likely to have more severe depression symptoms if they’d experienced perineal tearing during delivery, researchers found.

“Pelvic floor and anorectal problems are still considered taboo," Mazurek said. "Women often feel ashamed or embarrassed, or worry that their problems will be dismissed.”

Unfortunately, these problems can’t be ignored, said lead researcher Natalia Kuciel, a urogynecological physiotherapist at Wroclaw Medical University.

“Symptoms associated with anorectal disorders may persist long after the perineum has healed following childbirth,” Kuciel said in a news release. “They are often recurrent or chronic, which is why early diagnosis and comprehensive, interdisciplinary care are extremely important.”

She said rectal bleeding should be assessed by a doctor, never ignored.

“It may accompany hemorrhoidal disease or an anal fissure, but other potential causes must also be ruled out,” Kuciel said.

These results show that psychological support should accompany treatment of physical symptoms in women reporting postpartum health issues, researchers said.

“Postpartum care should be interdisciplinary because pelvic floor problems rarely concern only one organ or one medical specialty,” Mazurek said.

Kuciel said it’s important for women not to "disappear" behind their roles as moms.

“She also needs attention, care and space to reconnect with her body, her needs and her everyday life,” Kuciel said.

More information

The American Pregnancy Association has more on healing after childbirth.

SOURCE: Wroclaw Medical University, news release, Aug. 12, 2026