Does parity impact obstructed defecation in women with normal anorectal anatomy?

Obstructed defecation (OD) is often associated with trauma to pelvic connective tissue and nerves sustained during pregnancy and childbirth. Although there are multiple potential etiologies of defecatory dysfunction, the pathophysiology of this symptom complex is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of parity in the development of obstructed defecatory symptoms in women with normal anorectal anatomy in a search for evidence of a presumptive neuropathic effect of pregnancy and childbirth.

This study retrospectively evaluated the records of 754 women presenting at a tertiary urogynecology unit for pelvic floor dysfunction with no anatomical abnormalities of the anorectum on imaging. They were stratified according to parity. The authors determined the prevalence of obstructed defecation symptoms in these groups. Chi-squared test was performed for statistical analysis.

Median age was 51 (range 16-88) years, and median vaginal parity was 2 (0-8); 399 (53%) women reported symptoms of OD. When anatomical abnormalities of the anorectum were excluded, parity did not seem to have a major effect on the prevalence of symptoms of OD.

In this cohort, parity is unlikely to be a cause of OD in women with normal anorectal anatomy.