Effects of Labor Analgesia on Pelvic Floor Function at 6 to 8 Weeks after Delivery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine whether the use of labor analgesia had a higher risk of pelvic floor functional problems after delivery. Study Design: All primiparas who delivered at our hospital between June 2019 and May 2020 were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups according to their choices: delivery with labor analgesia (analgesia group, n = 76), and delivery without labor analgesia (nonanalgesia group, n = 78). The primary outcome of the study was to test the pelvic floor function by electromyography (EMG) at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks. Participants also completed questionnaires including Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), International Consultation on Incontinent Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks. Results: Primiparas in the analgesia group experienced longer first and second stages of labor (p < 0.05), and had significantly higher PFDI-20 scores at postpartum 6 to 8 weeks (p < 0.05). But the differences in ICIQ-SF, OABSS scores, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system between the two groups were not significant (p > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in class II and class I muscles, scores of pretest resting baseline, and posttest resting baseline between primiparas with or without labor analgesia (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our results strongly confirmed that labor analgesia did not increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction up to 6 to 8 weeks after delivery, although symptom burden might be increased after labor analgesia.