Postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery: Assessment of risk factors in a case-control study

To assess the obstetrics risk factors for postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery.

Of 234 women with a vaginal delivery, 19 (8.1%) women who had postpartum urinary retention were cases, and 215 (91.9%) women who did not were controls. Postpartum urinary retention was defined as the presence of postvoid residual bladder volume ≥150 mL or the inability to void within 6 hours after vaginal delivery. Logistic regression analysis identified risk factors for urinary retention.

Prolonged duration of the second stage of labor (OR=0.46, 95% CI for OR=0.06-3.67, p<0.001), presence of episiotomy (OR=0.07, 95% CI for OR=0.01-0.68, p=0.022) and perineal laceration (OR=97.09, 95% CI for OR=7.93-1188.93, p<0.001), and birth weight of >4000 g for the newborn (OR=0.04, 95% CI for OR=0.01-0.20, p<0.001) were found as independent risk factors for postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery.

Postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery is a relatively common condition. Awareness of risk factors, including prolonged second stage of labor, episiotomy, perineal lacerations, and macrosomic birth, may allow us to take the necessary precautions against this complication.