Postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery

Objective

To determine the incidence of covert and overt postpartum urinary retention (PUR) after vaginal delivery and to determine obstetric variables contributing to PUR.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, women who delivered vaginally underwent a transabdominal ultrasound scan for estimation of postvoid residual bladder volume and diagnosis of PUR. Patient data, including age, obstetric history, mode of delivery, and duration of labor, were compared between women with and those without PUR.

Results

Of the 771 participants recruited, 84 (10. 9%) had PUR: 82 (10.6%) with covert PUR and 2 (0.3%) with overt PUR. Women with instrumental delivery were more prone to develop PUR (P = 0.03), with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.194 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-1.90). A duration of labor of more than 700 minutes was a good predictor of PUR. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.634 (95% CI, 0.567-0.702; P < 0.001), with an OR of 1.003 (95% CI, 1.001-1.004).

Conclusion

Covert retention of urine was significantly associated with parturients who had an instrumental delivery and a duration of labor of more than 700 minutes.