Health

Why one in 10 new mothers suffers postpartum depression – Gynaecologists

Published

1 year ago

May 5, 2025

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By Francesca Hangeior

Maternal experts have said that between 10 and 15 per cent of new mothers, especially those living in developing countries, suffer postpartum depression after childbirth.

They stated that while the exact cause was still unknown, the condition was caused by a combination of hormonal, psychological and social factors.

The gynaecologists explained that the condition which began within the first week after childbirth and could continue for a year, presented with symptoms such as persistent sadness, anxiety, loss of interest in daily activities, sleep disturbances and thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby.

Speaking in separate interviews, the maternal health experts identified women with a history of depression, unplanned pregnancies, limited social or family support, experiences of intimate partner violence, or complicated pregnancies and deliveries as being at higher risk of postpartum depression.

They further noted that the condition was preventable and treatable, urging pregnant women and new mothers to accept help, prioritise self-care and maintain social connections to ensure a smooth child-care journey.

The specialists also stated that the condition often went undiagnosed in many new mothers because a significant number do not deliver in health facilities or return for postnatal care.

Findings from several studies on PPD in Lagos, Kano and Enugu States showed a prevalence of this condition in new mothers.

The research further revealed that poor social support, perceived stress, inability to bond or breastfeed a baby, unsupportive partner and financial problems were predictors of PPD.

Commenting on the matter, an Honorary Consultant Obstetric and Gynaecologist at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa-Ibom, Prof Aniekan Abasiattai, stated that PPD was a mood disorder that affected women after childbirth and could continue for a year if left untreated.

He noted that though PPD was a common complication of childbirth, it was usually recognised until after the first two weeks of delivery.

The don further stated, “There are a few theories here and there, but the actual cause of postpartum depression is unknown. However some documented reports tend to attribute its prevalence or occurrence to be higher in the developing world when compared to the developed world. Although these figures vary, recent evidence tends to document higher prevalence or higher rates of postpartum depression in the developing world when compared to the developed world.

“Now, about 10 to 15 per cent of women, of all women worldwide, are said to develop postnatal depression. Figures in Nigeria are varying. The figures from Nigerian studies range from about 11 per cent to as high as 45.6 per cent, depending on the centres or the geographical area where these studies were conducted.”

Abasiattai further stated that the lack of awareness of the symptoms by the new mothers and some physicians made the situation unrecognised and undiagnosed.

The professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom, also mentioned that the relationship between mental health disorders and stigmatisation often made the women with the condition avoid speaking up and in some cases, visit the health centres.

The gynaecologist further explained that women who experience depression during pregnancy, face unemployment or financial difficulties, have unplanned or adolescent pregnancies, and have a history of sexual abuse, stillbirths, or maternal loss after delivery is at greater risk of developing postpartum depression.

He noted, “Those that lack support from family and friends, those that have complicated pregnancies or complicated births, those that have experienced a lot of stressful situations during pregnancy. And then, those that encounter intimate partner violence, and marital and partner conflicts. There are many more, but these are just a few of them. So, these are those that have an increased risk of coming down with postpartum depression after childbirth.”

He further noted that the prevalence of PPD in the country varied within geographical locations, noting regions, where new mothers had social, family, physical and emotional support, had reduced risk of developing the disorder.

The maternal expert further noted that while the condition was treatable, early identification and proper diagnosis were key.

He noted that the management was multidisciplinary, involving mental health physicians and nurses, obstetricians and social workers.

Speaking on the preventive measures, “Although their level of effectiveness may not have been scientifically proven, I believe that these preventive measures would assist in bringing them down. These include obtaining antenatal care because it’s been documented that women who don’t obtain formal antenatal care, the unbooked women, tend to have a higher risk of developing postpartum depression.

“So, formal antenatal care, where you come for classes and are taught about breast preparedness and complication readiness, childcare, immunisation, exclusive breastfeeding that helps promote mother and baby bonding and help reduce postpartum depression. These would help reduce anxiety about childcare after delivery.”

The researcher on Community Obstetrics and Fetomaternal Medicine also emphasised the need to promote good parenting practices and have family and social support to reduce the risk.

He urged new mothers to maintain healthy lifestyles after delivery, ensure adequate sleep and exercise and avoid alcohol and recreational drugs that could worsen mood swings and symptoms of PPD.

Also, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Christopher Aimakhu, stated that PPD was a mental health condition that often went undiagnosed and affected between 10 and 20 per cent of new mothers.

He also noted that new mothers in low-middle-income countries were at higher risk of the condition due to lack of access to healthcare, limited financial resources and social support systems.

The don stated that it was caused by a complex interplay of psychological, biological, social, genetic, and psychosocial factors.

Aimakhu also explained that the lack of family support and good antenatal and postnatal care could predispose new mothers to the condition.

Providing solutions, the gynaecologist said, “Counselling, in terms of telling them what to do, is the most important thing. It can also help prevent it before it starts. Therapy also helps. When the condition is bad, depending on the severity, they might need to use medications.

“So in terms of diagnosis, health providers must know that treatment usually takes a while. Psychotherapists may help to address her concerns, what it is that she should cope with and how she can solve the problems. You must have realistic goals and that’s why I’ll talk about prevention, because a lot of people expect too much after the delivery, especially when your husband doesn’t do what he says he’s going to do.”

He further emphasised that with proper treatment, the condition should be resolved within a short time.

To prevent the condition, he urged new mothers to accept help from family and friends, connect with other new mothers, create time to care for themselves, avoid alcohol and drugs that could cause mood swings and seek medical attention if sadness and depression persist.

Health

DR Congo Ebola outbreak tops 1,000 cases, kills 254

Published

4 days ago

June 23, 2026

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More than 1,000 Ebola infections have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the latest outbreak has killed more than 250 people, official figures showed Monday.

The country’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP) confirmed 1,003 cases and 254 deaths, with a fatality rate of 25 percent.

The latest outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever was declared on May 15.

Almost all cases are in Ituri province in the northeast, a conflict-weary region plagued by armed groups.

In total, three provinces have been affected: Ituri, neighbouring North Kivu and South Kivu, home to around 15 million people.

The virus has also spread to neighbouring Uganda, where the World Health Organization has recorded 20 cases and two deaths, though Kampala said the situation was “under control” earlier this month.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.

Existing Ebola vaccines, developed between 2018 and 2019, are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous major outbreaks.

The World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency, warning the outbreak could last months.

“The outbreak was declared around two months after the first suspected deaths were reported… During that time, the disease spread unchecked in ways we still don’t fully understand,” an international aid group representative told AFP, speaking anonymously.

AFP

Health

Fed govt moves to prevent Ebola outbreak, sets up presidential task force

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1 week ago

June 19, 2026

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The federal government on Thursday inaugurated a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness, declaring that Nigeria would not wait for an outbreak before taking action and vowing to prevent a repeat of the 2014 Ebola scare.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the task force was established as a proactive measure to ensure the country is fully prepared against any possible outbreak of the deadly disease, even as he confirmed that no case of Ebola has been reported in Nigeria.

Speaking with State House correspondents after inaugurating the task force at the State House, Abuja, Gbajabiamila said the government’s focus is on prevention rather than response, stressing that authorities were determined not to be caught unprepared.

“We did the inauguration today on the preparedness of Nigeria for the Ebola virus disease. We’ve covered a lot of ground. Right now, there’s no reported case, which is good news, and that’s why all hands have to be on deck to make sure the measures we are taking are preventive, not curative.

“We don’t want to be in the situation we were last time, where we had a carrier in the country and we’re all running helter-skelter”, he said.

He disclosed that the task force had established several subcommittees to coordinate critical areas of preparedness, including surveillance, border control, immigration management and emergency response.

According to him, one of the key lessons from the 2014 outbreak is the need for stronger coordination among all stakeholders, particularly between the Federal Government and states with international points of entry.

Gbajabiamila noted that governors and representatives of states hosting international airports, including Lagos, Rivers, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory, participated in the meeting, describing the collaboration as essential to preventing the virus from entering the country.

He said special attention was also being given to Nigeria’s extensive land borders, warning that disease transmission through informal migration routes posed a significant risk.

“Normally, when people talk about emergency preparedness and cross-border diseases such as this, they think about airports. But now we’re covering not just airports; we’re placing greater emphasis on land borders.

“We have a lot of cross-migration through the land borders, and the Border Control Development Agency is involved, immigration is involved, and a lot of the border communities are involved”, he said.

The Chief of Staff said the government had drawn valuable lessons from the country’s successful containment of the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and was building stronger structures to eliminate gaps in preparedness.

“What we want is a zero case, as we have now. We want to maintain a zero case”, he added.

Also speaking, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, said surveillance systems had already been strengthened at major points of entry across the country, particularly airports.

He confirmed that Nigeria currently has no recorded case of Ebola but stressed that preparedness remained critical given recent developments in parts of Africa.

“The focus is to be prepared. We don’t have any Ebola case here now, but we need to be prepared. We need to ensure that we don’t get that Ebola virus here.

“However, just in case one slips in, we want to be prepared nationally to identify and deal with the case”, Idris said.

The NCDC boss explained that existing disease surveillance and emergency response structures were being upgraded and adapted specifically to address Ebola-related threats.

He said the preparedness framework brings together multiple government institutions, including the ministries of health, interior and education, as well as immigration, border control agencies and state governments.

According to him, emergency preparedness requires a coordinated national response built on teamwork, clearly defined responsibilities and an effective command-and-control structure.

“The bottom line is that the objective is that we do not allow Ebola to come in. If it does come in, we are prepared to rapidly identify and manage the case nationally”, he said.

Idris added that state governments across the federation had already been mobilised as part of the preparedness strategy, with efforts focused on surveillance, early detection, rapid response and public health coordination.

The inauguration of the task force comes amid heightened vigilance across several African countries following renewed concerns over Ebola outbreaks in parts of the continent.

Health

NARD Issues 21-Day Ultimatum To FG Over Attacks On Doctors

Published

3 weeks ago

June 7, 2026

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The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to start implementing a national framework for the protection of healthcare workers, following a growing wave of attacks on medical personnel across the country.

NARD issued the ultimatum at a press briefing to end its Ordinary General Meeting (OGM), which took place in Kano. It also declared an industrial dispute with the government over 14 unresolved demands affecting the health sector.

According to the union’s president, Mohammad Suleiman, the rising cases of assault, intimidation, harassment and violent attacks on doctors pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare system.

“The OGM observed with grave concern the disturbing rise in cases of assault, harassment, intimidation and violent attacks against doctors across the country while discharging their professional duties.”

Suleiman described the trend as “barbaric, unacceptable and a dangerous threat” to the survival of the health system.

As part of its resolutions, the association demanded the immediate investigation, arrest, and prosecution of perpetrators of attacks on health workers, while urging the government and security agencies to strengthen protection for medical personnel and facilities nationwide. He further added that,

“Consequently, the OGM gives the Federal Government a 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a National Healthcare Workers Assault Prevention and Response Protocol, as well as the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address this menace.”

These include the immediate release and payment of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), which the association noted remains unpaid despite repeated assurances.

“The OGM demands the release and payment of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days,” Suleiman said.

The association also demanded payment of outstanding 25/35 per cent CONMESS arrears, settlement of 19 months of unpaid professional allowance arrears, and clearance of salary and promotion arrears across federal and state health institutions.

It called for correction of discrepancies in professional allowance payments made in May 2026 and settlement of all related arrears.

Welfare and Recruitment Concerns

NARD raised concerns over worsening welfare conditions for house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and challenges in internship placement and onboarding.

It also demanded full implementation of outstanding provisions in the Medical and Health Workers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and urged government action on excessive workload, prolonged call-duty hours, casualisation of doctors, and abusive locum appointments.

Suleiman criticised delays by the Federal Character Commission (FCC) in issuing compliance letters, saying it has stalled recruitment and worsened manpower shortages in the health sector.

“The OGM demands the immediate issuance of a letter of compliance by the Chairperson of the FCC within the next 21 days to facilitate employment of healthcare workers and avert further worsening of the brain drain crisis,” the NARD chief said.

The association also called on federal and state tertiary health institutions to urgently address welfare, remuneration, infrastructure, and staffing challenges.

It specifically highlighted unresolved disputes at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), including provision of call meals and alleged victimisation of doctors.

Industrial Dispute Declared

While commending the governors of Osun and Kano states, Ademola Adeleke and Abba Kabir Yusuf, respectively, for interventions in the health sector, NARD warned that failure to meet its demands could trigger further industrial action.

“The Association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the Federal Government on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window,” it said.

He added that the association’s National Officers Committee would engage stakeholders during the ultimatum period, after which the National Executive Council would determine the next line of action.