Long Term Outcomes Following a Post Dural Puncture Headache

Epidural analgesia is considered a gold standard method for treatment of labor pain. One of the major risks with epidural analgesia is an accidental dural puncture, which leads to a post dural puncture headache. This headache is associated with significant maternal morbidity and can result in severe maternal consequences. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as an anxiety syndrome, resulting from a traumatic experience. Postpartum PTSD, is a form of PTSD that can occur in relation to a traumatic birth experience. As PDPH is unexpected and can cause severe maternal sequele, PDPH can exhibit a posttraumatic stress response. Therefore we hypothesize that parturients who suffered from a PDPH are at higher risk for developing PP-PTSD. To date, very few reports have examined the long term outcomes of parturients suffering from a PDPH. As a follow up to the national survey of PDPH management in Israel the investigators aim, in this prospective multi center, observational study, to evaluate the long term outcomes of parturients suffering from a PDPH, including chronic headache, backache, postpartum depression, decreased breastfeeding and the development of PP PTSD.