- Academic Editor
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†These authors contributed equally.
Background: Forceps-assisted
vaginal delivery is closely associated with postpartum pelvic floor muscle (PFM)
injury and postpartum pelvic floor
dysfunction. The present study utilized
Glazer PFM surface electromyography (sEMG)
and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence
Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) for the objective assessment of postpartum PFM function
to determine the effects of different forceps delivery indications on early
postpartum pelvic floor function in primiparas. Methods: Four hundred
primiparas whose pregnancies had been terminated by forceps delivery were divided
into three groups based on the indication for forceps delivery: fetal distress
(FD) (n = 260), prolonged second stage of labor (PSSL) (n = 30), and intrapartum
fever combined with fetal distress (IFFD) (n = 110). Pelvic floor muscle surface
electromyography (EMG) performed according to the Glazer protocol at 42–60 days
postpartum was the primary outcome measure. Results: The overall Glazer
assessment scores of the PSSL (54.4