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Controlling pain during childbirth may reduce the risk of mothers suffering from post-natal depression, The Daily Mail reported.

Researchers found women who had an epidural during labour had a 14 per cent rate of depression six weeks after birth. But this rose to 35 per cent for those who did not have the pain relief.

In the study an epidural was the only means of pain control available to the women.

The Chinese research also found that breastfeeding was more common in the group who had an epidural for pain compared to those who did not, 70 per cent compared to 50 per cent.

Dr Katherine Wisner, a perinatal psychiatrist at Northwestern University in the U.S., wrote a report on the research conducted by the Chinese researchers.

She said: 'Pain control gets the mother off to a good beginning rather than starting off defeated and exhausted.