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More must be done to protect women from birth trauma, a Tory MP has said after a new poll revealed that traumatic births have prevented a significant proportion of women from having more children. Theo Clarke said that it was “vitally important” that women receive the care and support they need after a traumatic birth. It comes after a poll of members of the Mumsnet community found that more than half (53%) who had suffered birth trauma said their experience put them off having more babies. The MP for Stafford has previously spoken out about her own birth story, where she described how she thought she was “going to die” after suffering a third degree tear and needing emergency surgery. She has since set up an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma to try to highlight the plight of thousands of women who suffer similar situations each year. A poll of 1,000 members of the Mumsnet website, shared with the PA news agency, found that 79% of those surveyed had experienced birth trauma. While the poll does not represent all mothers across the UK, it provides a snapshot of the experiences of those who use the popular parenting site. The survey also found that 72% of those who had experienced birth trauma said their issue had not been resolved a year after giving birth. Among those who had experienced physical, emotional or psychological birth trauma, 44% said healthcare professionals used language which implied they were “a failure or to blame” for the experience. Three quarters (76%) of all of those polled said they felt that health professionals had become “desensitised” to birth trauma. Almost two thirds (63%) said they did not believe healthcare workers did everything they could to prevent birth trauma. And 64% said they felt a “lack of compassion” from healthcare professionals during labour. Commenting on the poll, Ms Clarke said: “These survey results are deeply upsetting. They speak to my own experience of birth trauma and quite clearly to many, many other women’s horrendous experiences too. “That more than half of women across the UK who responded say they are less likely to want another child because of their birth experiences and they were made to feel they were to blame is simply terrible. “The survey is clear that more compassion, education and better after-care for mothers who suffer birth trauma are desperately needed if we are to see an improvement in mums’ physical wellbeing and mental health. “The APPG is now up and running in Parliament and will continue to listen to mothers and experts to drive fundamental change in how we treat mums. Our ambition is for birth trauma to be included in the Government’s women’s health strategy. “It is vitally important women receive the help and support they deserve.” Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: “We hear daily on Mumsnet from women who have had deeply upsetting experiences of maternity care, and this latest research underlines that the majority of mothers experience birth trauma – whether physical or psychological. “This trauma has long-lasting effects and it’s clear that women are being failed at every stage of the maternity care process – with too little information provided beforehand, a lack of compassion from staff during birth, and substandard postnatal care for mothers’ physical and mental health.” Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, added: “It is time for a complete overhaul in the way women experience maternity. “This should include: honest, evidence-based antenatal education; compassionate and professional care during labour; and postnatal care that is designed to identify and treat every birth injury or mental health problem. “A maternity system that puts women at the heart of care is not some kind of unfeasibly high goal – it is the bare minimum that women have the right to expect.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to making the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth, and improving support for women before, during and after pregnancy is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. “We are investing an additional £165 million per year to grow and support the maternity workforce and improve neonatal care. NHS England recently published a three-year plan to make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families. “To support women following trauma related to their maternity experience, we are rolling out 33 new maternal mental health services, which will be available across England by March 2024.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Imagination and hard work in children trumps obedience – research finds 7 ways you could be damaging your eye health without even realising Celebrities mingle with royals at glam Vogue World party in London

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Taking an adult education class could help lower your risk of developing dementia, researchers have found. Middle-aged and senior citizens in adult education have a 19% reduced chance of developing the condition within five years, a new study suggests. The findings also suggest that people who took the classes kept up their fluid intelligence – the ability to reason quickly and to think abstractly – and non-verbal reasoning performance better than peers who did not. First author Dr Hikaru Takeuchi, of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, said: “Here we show that people who take adult education classes have a lower risk of developing dementia five years later. “Adult education is likewise associated with better preservation of non-verbal reasoning with increasing age.” Here we show that people who take adult education classes have a lower risk of developing dementia five years later Dr Hikaru Takeuchi, Tohoku University Dr Takeuchi and his co-author Dr Ryuta Kawashima, also a professor at the Institute of Development, Ageing and Cancer at the university, analysed data from 282,421 people in the UK Biobank, which holds genetic, health, and medical information from approximately half a million British volunteers, They had enrolled between 2006 and 2010, when they were between 40 and 69, and had been followed up for an average of seven years at the time of the new study. Based on their DNA, people were given an individual predictive risk score for dementia, and self-reported if they took any adult education classes, without specifying the frequency, subject, or academic level. The study looked at data from the enrolment visit and third assessment visit, between 2014 and 2018. Those enrolled in the study were given psychological and cognitive tests, for example for fluid intelligence, visuospatial memory and reaction time. According to the study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 1.1% of people in the sample developed dementia over the course of the study. It also found that people who were taking part in adult education, at enrolment had 19% lower risk of developing dementia than participants who did not. The results were similar when people with a history of diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, cancer or mental illness were excluded. The researchers suggest this means the observed lower risk was not exclusively due to people with developing dementia being prevented from following adult education by symptoms of these known conditions. Dr Kawashima said: “One possibility is that engaging in intellectual activities has positive results on the nervous system, which in turn may prevent dementia. “But ours is an observational longitudinal study, so if a direct causal relationship exists between adult education and a lower risk of dementia, it could be in either direction.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Indiyah Polack: I didn’t want to go on Love Island because of my acne Everything you need to know about the UK’s first womb transplant Why are wellbeing experts concerned about the ‘lazy girl job’ trend?

Is there an alcoholic in your life? We don’t often talk about the people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking – but the impact on loved ones, family and partners can be immense. For Alcohol Change UK – the charity behind Alcohol Awareness Week (July 3-9) – it is important that loved ones of alcoholics know they are not alone. According to a new survey commissioned by the charity – which is not anti-alcohol but working towards ‘alcohol change’ and to reduce the harm it causes – some 19% of drinkers consider alcohol to be an “essential” in their shopping basket, with 15% of people worried about the amount of alcohol someone in their household has been drinking. “Far too many lives are tragically cut short each year due to alcohol, with the latest figures on the number of alcohol-specific deaths at a record high. At the moment, 600,000 people in the UK could benefit from alcohol treatment but the vast majority are not receiving it,” said Andrew Misell, Director for Wales at Alcohol Change UK. “It can be heart-breaking to see someone close to you struggle with alcohol problems. But it is not only the drinker who is affected – their loved ones can feel the effects too. The pressures of caring for someone who is drinking heavily can be overwhelming,” Misell adds. “But by encouraging them to seek support, you can really improve their health and yours.” Is somebody close to you an alcoholic? Here are some key pieces of advice that may be helpful… Visit your GP Seeing your GP could help you address any anxiety you may be grappling with. They can offer professional and nuanced advice that will help you communicate how you really feel to a loved one who needs to stop drinking, and steer you towards your own mental health support if necessary. “Living with someone who is struggling with an alcohol problem can be exhausting. You will want to do the best you can for your loved one, but your relationship with them is bound to be strained. You may no longer feel able to trust them,” Misell said. “They may well be neglecting family duties, and their moods may swing erratically. It’s important you find some time and space for yourself and for your own concerns and interests.” Also, anyone is allowed to contact the GP or safeguarding anonymously if, for instance, there is a parent with alcoholism looking after young children. Reach out to family support services Whatever your relationship with the person with an alcohol problem, other people will have had, or be having, similar experiences. Connecting with them at one of the many family support services across the country can be really helpful. “It may be worth you seeking out support from a families’ organisation like Adfam or Al-Anon, where you’ll be able to connect with others who are in the same boat as you,” Misell said. Bottled Up, meanwhile, offers information and advice for family members living with someone who is alcohol-dependent. The founders of the organisation are a therapist and a psychologist who have direct experience with alcoholism. Al-Anon provides free meetings where the family and friends of alcoholics can listen to the shared experiences of those in a similar positions. Al-Anon also has a separate arm for children aged between 12-17 called Alateen, where teenagers can share their experiences and find support, while also learning about the nature of the illness. Think about the four aspects of their health Before sitting down to talk about what is going on with a family member who is drinking too much, it might be a good idea to be prepared about what you need to say. This could be a helpful step in deciding what actions to take in order to seek help, too. Dr Niall Campbell, Priory consultant psychiatrist and addictions expert, based at Priory Hospital in Roehampton, southwest London, suggests thinking about these four aspects of their health first: physical health, mental health, relationship health and their work health. “Are they falling over? Have they injured themselves? Have they been drinking to the point of amnesia? Blackouts? Are they hungover and sick in the morning? Have they gone to see their GP? Some results, such as high blood pressure, could be a good indicator,” Campbell said. “And then mentally, is it making them depressed? Are they irritable? Do they seem ashamed or guilty? Is their drinking adversely affecting relationships between a husband and wives, siblings, children, and parents? “When it comes to their work, are they missing it? Are they late going into the office and saying they can’t do their job properly because they’re drinking at home? This is a big problem since the lockdown.” He suggests doing this with a third party that’s already aware of the situation, so you can pull together more concrete examples. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The history of royal fashion at Wimbledon How to be waterwise in your garden this summer Every Barbie-inspired outfit Margot Robbie has worn so far

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