Newswise — DALLAS – June 27, 2024 – A UT Southwestern Medical Center study of hundreds of underserved women showed that depression and anxiety, in addition to physical factors such as a higher body mass index and previous births, are associated with lingering postpartum urinary incontinence. The findings, published in Urogynecology , shine a spotlight on these conditions that can carry stigmas but are largely treatable, researchers say. “Our study draws a bridge between two vital components of health care that are often overlooked and neglected: postpartum care and mental health,” said Sonia Bhandari Randhawa, M.
D., a second-year Urogynecology fellow at UT Southwestern. Dr.
Bhandari Randhawa co-led the study with David Rahn, M.D. , Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UTSW.
Dr. Bhandari Randhawa explained that in October 2020, clinicians from UT Southwestern and Parkland Health launched Extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP), a community-based program that provides care to underserved women in Dallas County for a year after they give birth. Women enrolled in the program undergo a baseline assessment after delivery, then have check-ins at frequent intervals for the next 12 months.
The patients undergo physical exams and answer questions on various physical and mental health conditions for treatment or referral purposes. Curious about potential overlaps between postpartum urinary incontinence and mental health in this group, Drs. Bhandari Randhawa and Ra.