New mums who develop adult incontinence after giving birth appear to be almost twice as likely to develop postnatal depression as those without incontinence, a study has found.

Researchers at McMaster University's School of Nursing studied almost 1,900 new mothers, one-third of whom had given birth via caesarean section.  Almost eight per cent of participants had postnatal depression six weeks after leaving hospital. The researchers found no link between the mode of delivery and risk of postnatal de

pression.However, women who relied on incontinence products after giving birth had an elevated risk of depressive symptoms.

Lead researcher Dr Wendy Sword, whose findings are published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said: "We were surprised to find that urinary incontinence is a risk factor for postpartum depression.

"Urinary incontinence following childbirth has not received much attention as a factor contributing to postpartum depression and we do not yet fully understand the reasons incontinence is linked to depression."

NHS figures suggest that about one in ten mothers in the UK are affected by postnatal depression.