Epidural may reduce risk of post-natal depression

Mothers-to-be who use pain relief during childbirth may have a lower risk of depression after their babies are born, a leading psychiatrist has said.

Around one-in-10 women suffer from post-natal depression.

Now, new research from China has found that those who have an epidural for pain relief during labour during a normal birth have a lower rate of depression than those who go without.