Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVES:Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) are associated with severe short and long-term morbidities, although little is known about the long-term sexual function or satisfaction of women and partners of women with history of OASIS. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term sexual function and satisfaction of women who previously sustained OASIS and to assess sexual satisfaction among their male partners. METHODS:This was a follow-up study of participants enrolled in the For Optimal Recovery: Care After Severe Tears (FORCAST) prospective cohort study of women with a history of OASIS after delivery of a full-term singleton infant between 2011 and 2013. A total of 47 women and 25 male partners at a mean of 45 months ± 8 months after incident delivery completed online validated questionnaires assessing current sexual functioning and satisfaction. The Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) was completed by female participants, whereas the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) was completed by both female participants and their male partners. RESULTS:Nearly half (47%) of women met the criteria for female sexual dysfunction according to the Female Sexual Functioning Index. One-third of women (34%) had an overall GRISS score of 5 or greater, indicating sexual dysfunction. Sixty-two percent of women had a subsequent delivery. Seven male partners (28%) met the criteria for sexual dysfunction according to the GRISS. The most problematic GRISS subscale reported by both men and women was that of infrequency of intercourse. CONCLUSIONS:Even 3 years after sustaining OASIS, up to half of women and many male partners meet the criteria for sexual dysfunction. Future studies including women without history of OASIS are needed to further investigate the role OASIS may play in the development of long-term sexual dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE:Female sterilization is one of the most prevalent methods of contraception in the United States. Prior studies have shown that nearly half of postpartum tubal ligation (PPTL) requests go unfulfilled. This study seeks to establish whether obstetric or medical risk status influences patients' request for or subsequent completion of PPTL. METHODS:This study was a retrospective cohort study of women delivering at a university hospital in 2009-2010 who received prenatal care in the faculty and resident clinics. High-risk status was defined by Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidelines. Documentation of contraceptive plan and administration of contraceptive methods was abstracted from patient records. Subsequent pregnancies through March 1, 2013, were abstracted. RESULTS:Of 3063 participants (2048 low risk and 1015 high risk), 231 requested PPTL (7.5%). This was more likely among high-risk patients than low-risk patients (10.0% vs. 6.3%, p<.001), those with public insurance (13.8% vs. 3.2%, p<.001) and those with an unintended index pregnancy (13.8% vs. 4.1%, p<.001). Of the patients requesting PPTL, 118 (51.1%) underwent the procedure immediately postpartum. Completion was not associated with high-risk status (54.0%), or with race, insurance status or parity. Among 113 women with an unfulfilled PPTL request, there were 17 subsequent pregnancies (15.0%) during the 27 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:Though women with high-risk pregnancies were more likely to request PPTL, they were not more likely to complete the procedure. Over one third of high-risk patients' requests were unfulfilled, indicating that significant barriers may remain. IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:Though women with high-risk pregnancies were more likely to request PPTL, they were not more likely to complete the procedure. Providers should consider these procedures urgent, especially in high-risk women, and advocate for their patients' access to this procedure.

BACKGROUND:It remains uncertain whether clinical factors known prior to delivery can predict which women are more likely to experience shoulder dystocia in the setting of operative vaginal delivery. OBJECTIVE:We sought to identify whether shoulder dystocia can be accurately predicted among women undergoing an operative vaginal delivery. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:This was a case-control study of women undergoing a low or outlet operative vaginal delivery from 2005 through 2014 in a single tertiary care center. Cases were defined as women who experienced a shoulder dystocia at the time of operative vaginal delivery. Controls consisted of women without a shoulder dystocia at the time of operative vaginal delivery. Variables previously identified to be associated with shoulder dystocia that could be known prior to delivery were abstracted from the medical records. Bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify factors independently associated with shoulder dystocia. A receiver operating characteristic curve was created to evaluate the predictive value of the model for shoulder dystocia. RESULTS:Of the 4080 women who met inclusion criteria, shoulder dystocia occurred in 162 (4.0%) women. In bivariable analysis, maternal age, parity, body mass index, diabetes, chorioamnionitis, arrest disorder as an indication for an operative vaginal delivery, vacuum use, and estimated fetal weight >4 kg were significantly associated with shoulder dystocia. In multivariable analysis, parity, diabetes, chorioamnionitis, arrest disorder as an indication for operative vaginal delivery, vacuum use, and estimated fetal weight >4 kg remained independently associated with shoulder dystocia. The area under the curve for the generated receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.77), demonstrating only a modest ability to predict shoulder dystocia before performing an operative vaginal delivery. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:While risk factors for shoulder dystocia at the time of operative vaginal delivery can be identified, reliable prediction of shoulder dystocia in this setting cannot be attained.

INTRODUCTION:The impact of obstetric perineal trauma on timing of return to intercourse is unclear, although sexual desire is clearly decreased in these women. In addition, studies examining timing of return to intercourse are cross-sectional and therefore cannot delineate potential reasons that patients might delay return to intercourse. AIM:To identify factors associated with delayed return to intercourse after obstetric anal sphincter injuries. METHODS:This was a planned secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of women sustaining obstetric anal sphincter injuries during delivery of a full-term singleton infant. Patients completed the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index at every postpartum visit (1, 2, 6, and 12 weeks) and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 once resuming vaginal intercourse. Intercourse was considered "delayed" if patients did not resume intercourse by the 12-week visit. This cutoff was chosen because it was subsequent to the 6-week visit, when patients were instructed to return to normal pelvic activity. Continuous variables were compared using the Student t-test (parametric) or Mann-Whitney U-test (non-parametric). The χ(2) test was used for categorical variables. Statistical significance was assigned with a P value less than .05. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Primary outcome measurements were differences in pelvic floor symptoms on validated surveys between the "delayed" and "not-delayed" groups at the first postpartum visit and at the time the subjects returned to intercourse. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, the Urinary Distress Inventory-6 and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 for urinary symptoms, the visual analog scale for pain, the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index for bowel symptoms, and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 at the return to intercourse visit only. RESULTS:One hundred ninety-nine women were included in this analysis. Most were Caucasian (77%) and primiparous (86%). One hundred nineteen women (60%) did not resume vaginal intercourse until after the 12-week visit and were deemed "delayed." Patients who delayed intercourse scored higher on the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index (more anal incontinence) than those who resumed intercourse before 12 weeks (15.4 ± 12.3 vs 12.0 ± 12.8, P = .02). The delayed group also had worse sexual function, shown as lower Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 scores (35.4 ± 5.9 vs 38.4 ± 4.1, P ≤ .001) and persistently higher Fecal Incontinence Severity Index scores (4.1 ± 7.3 vs 1.6 ± 4.4, P = .001), at the first visit after returning to intercourse. CONCLUSION:Patients with obstetric anal sphincter injuries who do not resume intercourse by 12 weeks postpartum report more severe anal incontinence symptoms and worse sexual function after return to coitus.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the association of a forceps simulation training curriculum for obstetrics residents on rates of severe perineal lacerations after forceps deliveries. METHODS:This was a retrospective cohort study. We created a novel simulation curriculum for forceps-assisted vaginal delivery based on the best practices of local experts, and trained all residents beginning in 2013. We then retrospectively reviewed all forceps deliveries performed in the 2.5 years after initiation of the training and the 7.5 years before the training program. We identified patients who experienced a severe perineal laceration (third- or fourth-degree) and examined the relationship of resident training status and perineal laceration. Known risk factors for lacerations were identified and a multilevel multivariable model was created including these factors as well as resident training. RESULTS:During the study period, we identified 6,058 forceps-assisted vaginal deliveries. We examined temporal trends in rates of forceps of severe perineal laceration. We identified a decrease in severe lacerations between 2005 and 2008, ending 5 years before the initiation of the training curriculum. These years were censored from the data, yielding a baseline observational period of 4,279 deliveries with no significant trend in laceration rate. Univariate analysis reveals a 22% reduction in severe perineal laceration (odds ratio [OR] 0.78; P=.005) among women delivered by residents who had completed forceps simulation training compared with women delivered by residents who had not. After adjusting for known maternal and delivery risk factors for perineal laceration, the magnitude of the reduction increased to 26% in the full data set model (OR 0.74; P=.002). CONCLUSION:A forceps simulation curriculum for obstetrics residents was associated with a significant reduction in severe perineal lacerations.