Does a second delivery increase the risk of anal incontinence?

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of anal incontinence and anal sphincter defects after a first vaginal delivery and assess the effect of a second delivery. Design Prospective cohort study using postal questionnaires assessing incontinence to flatus and stools at three and thirty months postnatally and anal endosonography at three months following delivery. Setting Recruitment was from the antenatal clinic at the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland. Population One hundred women with a vaginal delivery of their first child. Main outcome measures Prevalence of anal incontinence and anal sphincter defects. Results Anal incontinence was reported by 16/92 (17%) of women at three months after delivery and by 11/77 (14%) at 30 months. At that time, 5/54 (9%) with no further delivery reported incontinence, compared with 6/23 (26%) of those who had had another delivery (RR 2.8, 95% CI 1.0‐8.3). Anal sphincter defects were diagnosed by endosonography in 46/87 (53%) women and were associated with reported incontinence at both three months (RR 1.9; 95% CI 1.4‐2.6) and 30 months (RR 1.9; 95% CI 1.3‐2.8) after delivery. The prevalence of anal incontinence at 30 months was highest (5/13, 39%) among those in whom a sphincter defect was diagnosed by endosonography after their first delivery and with a second delivery. Conclusion Anal incontinence after childbirth is associated with defects of the anal sphincter diagnosed by endosonography. Subsequent deliveries increase the risk of incontinence, particularly among women with a sphincter defect diagnosed after the first delivery.