Birth injuries: the big strain on daily life
It's Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2022 (18-23 July), the theme this year is Physical Birth Injuries: diagnosis and treatment. Together with Birth Trauma Association UK (BTA) and Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) we conducted a survey, which focuses on diagnosis, treatment and impact of physical birth injuries. Our findings illustrate the major impact birth injuries can have on daily life, mental and physical well-being, relationships and intimacy.
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The stories that were shared with us speak louder than statistics. They show the often hidden and multi-layered pain that comes from birth injuries.
“I feel like a shell of my former self. I have lost my hope, my self-esteem is so low now.”
“None of them listened to me. They said ‘that’s normal’ and ‘it’ll pass with time, all women hurt after birth’.”
“It’s affected my relationship of 7 years. Not only can we NOT be intimate, I won’t even let him look at it. I’m so ashamed of how I’ve been left to feel and look.”
There is still a lot of stigma around physical birth injuries, with people who have a birth-related injury often feeling a lot of shame in talking about it. Our study clearly shows the incredible impact these injuries have on people’s daily life, which is undoubtedly something that needs more awareness.
But what’s more perhaps, is that our results show a huge issue around delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment. We feel this illustrates just how much women’s health problems around birth are neglected, and with the imminent launch of the Women's Health Strategy - which specifically addresses stigmas and poor diagnosis around women’s health, we believe these are key findings that cannot be overlooked:
Nearly 1 in 5 women (17%)* said they had to wait at least 6 months to a year to receive diagnosis
Nearly 1 in 4 women (23%) mentioned their injury was diagnosed at different times, indicating possible misdiagnosis, or possibly symptoms being dismissed or not taken seriously (misdiagnosis and not being listened to are themes reflected by our survey)
3 in 4 women (73%) said they received treatment for their condition, yet 6 out of 10 women (60%) mentioned treatment has only partially been effective; and 1 in 4 (24%) said they still have a problem
Only 16% said treatment had been completely effective so 84% are living with the problem without a solution
*We had 801 people participating in our survey which we ran from 5 May-1 June 2022 (UK=325/AUS=416/NZ=7/Other=53).
When you consider the substantial impact birth-related injuries have on people’s daily lives, their mental and physical well-being, relationships and intimacy, it’s a disgrace that they receive so little attention. With the incredible stigma clinging to it, we are left wondering how many are suffering in silence.
84% said their injury has impacted their body confidence and self-esteem
83% said their injury has impacted their sex life
74% said their injury has impacted their ability to exercise
73% said their injury has impacted their decision to have another baby
65% said their injury has impacted the relationship with their partner
Eight key themes emerged from the responses:
Impact on self-esteem and mental health
Misdiagnosis/delayed diagnosis
Fear and isolation
Ability to be physically active
Impact on relationships and work
Medical gaslighting
Sex life and intimacy
Future births and growing families
You can read a summary of our study here, which includes a link to the full report Birth injuries: the hidden epidemic.
Additional Information For Professionals In Maternity Services
This webinar from our organisation partner Irwin Mitchell focuses on perineal injury and the life-changing impact this can have on birthing women and people after giving birth. It provides practical guidance and advice for professionals on what can be done to prevent the outcomes of perineal injury. It offers a range of different perspectives from a panel of expert speakers and guests sharing their own personal experiences. The live discussion at the end focuses on how we can break the silence around these injuries and collectively work towards better outcomes for all.