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" Women who are particularly afraid of childbirth could be at greater risk of developing postnatal depression than their counterparts who are not as fearful of the experience. This is the conclusion of research at the University of Eastern Finland, where a team studied more than 500,000 expectant women. Postnatal depression was diagnosed at a rate of 0.3 per cent of singleton births between 2000 and 2010. Around a third of these patients had no history of depression - but diagnosed fear of childbirth during their pregnancies almost tripled the risk. Women with a history of depression were known to be more likely to experience postnatal depression, but this is the first time that those without have been linked to a particular risk factor. Writing in the journal BMJ Open, the researchers said it could help doctors to better recognise postnatal depression. The condition affects around one in seven women in the UK and usually develops in the first four to six weeks after childbirth. Read the abstract "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a24793/fear-of-childbirth-may-raise-depression-risk/>