CELETTA Emilienne

Title : Postpartum Recovery: Determinants, Trajectories, and Impact on Women's Health at 6 Months and 1 Year

The prevention and early management of physical and psychological complications related to the postpartum period have long been neglected, despite their direct impact on the social and economic spheres, as well as on women's health and quality of life (Souza et al., 2024). Recent data highlight a significant prevalence of morbidity related to childbirth in the medium to long term, specifically beyond six weeks after delivery. Among the reported conditions, 35% of women suffer from dyspareunia, 32% from low back pain, between 8% and 31% from urinary incontinence, and 11% from perineal pain (Vogel et al., 2024). Among the most common psychological disorders is postpartum depression, which affects approximately 20% of women in Switzerland (Wang et al., 2021). To prevent and treat postpartum disorders, promoting quality postpartum care has been identified as a key condition (Galle et al., 2023). The absence of surveys on the Swiss population prevents a precise and reliable understanding of women's health in the year following childbirth. Therefore, it is crucial to collect data on postpartum health, identify potential determinants, and analyze recovery trajectories in order to guide future policy decisions to improve postpartum care.

The thesis will be structured into three parts with more specific objectives:

1. Investigate the association between the subjective experience of childbirth and immediate recovery.
2. Investigate the relationship between immediate postpartum recovery and mental and physical health at two months.