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Updated: Sep 30, 2025
Anogenital Distance and Perineal Measurements of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse POP Quantification System
Published on: September 20, 2018
Effect of prolonged second stage of labor on pelvic floor function: A prospective cohort study
Xia Jin1, Siyu Wu1, Juan Huang1
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 389 Xincun Road, Shanghai, 200065, Putuo District, China.
Introduction And Hypothesis:
To evaluate the effect of the second stage of labor (SSL) lasting > 2 h on pelvic floor function.
Methods:
This single-center prospective cohort study included primiparous women with SSL > 2 h treated at Tongji Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019 (case group). A matched group of women with similar newborn weight and SSL < 2 h were recruited simultaneously (control group). Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) characteristics were measured at 6 weeks, 6 months, and finally 1 year postpartum.
Results:
A total of 63 pairs of primiparous women completed 1-year follow-up. The incidence of SUI in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group at 6 weeks postpartum (P = 0.020); however, the differences were not significant at 1 year postpartum (P=1.00). PFM endurance was significantly lower in the case group at 6 weeks (P = 0.000), 6 months (P = 0.000), and 1 year (P = 0.011) after childbirth. There was no difference in PFM strength between the two groups. The maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of PFM was significantly lower in the case group at 6 weeks postpartum (P = 0.007), but the differences were not significant at 1 year postpartum (P = 0.197). PFM endurance and MVC were higher at 1 year than at 6 weeks postpartum in both groups.
Conclusions:
The SSL > 2 h increased the incidence of SUI at 6 weeks postpartum and decreased PFM endurance for 1 year.
