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ORIGINAL RESEARCH |
From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the School of Nursing, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Address reprint requests to: Denise Howard, MD, MPH University of Michigan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1500 East Medical Center Drive L4000 Women’s Hospital, Box 0276 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0276 E-mail: denhow{at}umich.edu
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Abstract |
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Methods: We reviewed University of Michigan Hospital delivery records, from July 1996 to December 1998, of black and white women 18 years and older and at least 35 weeks’ gestation who had their first vaginal delivery. Birth weight, episiotomy, gestational age, laceration, length of second stage, oxytocin use, epidural use, and operative vaginal delivery were analyzed by univariable and multivariable tests.
Results: We analyzed 176 black women (mean age ± standard deviation 23.7 ± 4.7 years; range 18–41 years) and 1633 white women (27.8 ± 5.4 years; 18–49 years; P < .001). Black women were less likely to have second, third, or fourth degree lacerations (43% compared with 59%; P < .001). The mean length of second stage of labor was shorter in the black women (73 ± 69 minutes; range 3–494 minutes compared with 106 ± 78 minutes; range 2–642 minutes; P < .001). Infants of black women weighed less (3292 ± 490 g; 1990–5190 g compared with 3429 ± 470 g; 1860–4950 g; P < .001). Multivariable analysis showed that black women were twice as likely to deliver with intact perineums than white women (P < .001).
Conclusion: Black primiparas were less likely to deliver with second-degree or greater lacerations and more likely to deliver with their perineums intact.
Vaginal delivery can cause vaginal and perineal lacerations, and in the long term, urinary and fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.1–6 There are reports of black women being less likely to have vaginal lacerations and pelvic organ prolapses, although there are no studies that have examined those issues.7,8 Racial differences in urinary incontinence have been reported. Black women have lower reported prevalence of urinary incontinence and appear to be less often diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence.2,9–11 There are differences in the continence control system that might explain those prevalence differences.12 Trauma at vaginal delivery is the major risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence.13 Vaginal lacerations are one measure of that trauma. The purpose of this study was to test the null hypothesis that there would be no difference in vaginal laceration rates between black and white primiparas.
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Methods |
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Women were included if this was their first vaginal delivery (including successful vaginal delivery after cesarean), they were at least 18 years old, and had gestation of at least 35 weeks. Once identified, demographic characteristics, including information on their reported race, were evaluated. Those who identified themselves as black or white were included in the final analysis.
Data were recorded regarding any vaginal or perineal lacerations and episiotomies. Delivery records reported episiotomy separately from lacerations. A first-degree laceration included the mucosa but not the underlying fascia. Second-degree lacerations included the mucosa and underlying fascia but not the anal sphincter. Third-degree lacerations involved the anal sphincter, and fourth-degree lacerations extended through the rectal mucosa. Episiotomies or second-degree lacerations were recorded as they happened. In certain instances, women had episiotomies and second-degree lacerations; these were reported in both categories. Length of second stage of labor was also included, which was the time from complete dilation to delivery. Intrapartum oxytocin, anesthesia, type of vaginal delivery, infant birth weight, and gestational age were also documented.
Data were analyzed with 
2 analysis for nominal variables and unpaired t test for continuous variables, using the StatView statistical package (Abacus Concepts, Inc., Berkeley, CA). Logistic regression was used for multivariable analysis with SPSS 9.0 statistical package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Statistical significance was P 
.05.
To compare laceration outcomes, we grouped them as first-degree or no laceration (because first-degree lacerations do not injure pelvic support tissues) (group 1) and second-, third-, or fourth-degree lacerations (group 2). Multivariable analysis was used to analyze perineal outcomes by grouping them into an "intact perineum" category and a "disrupted perineum" category. Women who had disrupted perineums had either second-, third-, or fourth-degree lacerations or episiotomies. Those with intact perineums did not need episiotomies and had first-degree or no laceration. We used that grouping to eliminate issues related to episiotomy grouping and questions about reasons episiotomies might have been done.
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Results |
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). There were no significant differences between groups in gestational ages at delivery, epidural or oxytocin use, or instrument delivery.
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shows the number of women in each group of laceration severity. The episiotomy rate for black women was 26.9%, whereas the rate was 37.9% for white women (P = .003).
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). Black women were twice as likely to deliver with intact perineums (P < .001). An incremental increase in risk of perineal disruption was noted for age and infant birth weight in both groups. For each 1-year increase in age, women were 6% more likely to have disrupted perineums at delivery (P < .001), and for each 500-g increase in birth weight, women were 30% more likely to have disrupted perineums at delivery (P < .001).
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Discussion |
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Our findings support the reports of others: Robinson et al14 retrospectively studied epidural analgesia and third- and fourth-degree lacerations and found that black women were less likely to have those types of lacerations. Our study investigates that finding further by detailing second-degree lacerations.
Differences in laceration rates also were identified in other ethnic groups. Lydon-Rochelle et al15 reported lower risk of lacerations in Hispanic and Native American women than in non-Hispanic white women, when they examined perineal outcomes with nurse-midwife management. Others also found differences in length of second stage of labor among ethnic groups.16–18
Biologic differences that are responsible for those different rates have not been determined. Magdi19 suggested that the "elastic index," measured by the degree of abdominal striae, was predictive of perineal lacerations. Van Dongen8 speculated that different connective tissue makeup is important and that differences in collagen content of connective tissue might explain differences in prolapse prevalence in certain groups. Those hypotheses deserve further investigation.
Our findings support the idea of biologic differences between the races. The retrospective nature of our study prevents us from considering our findings as definitive proof of biologic differences, but they certainly provide enough information to warrant prospective comparative studies.
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Footnotes |
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Received February 16, 2000. Received in revised form May 5, 2000. Accepted May 26, 2000.
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2. Thom DH, Van Den Eeden SK, Brown JS. Evaluation of parturition and other reproductive variables as risk factors for urinary incontinence in later life. Obstet Gynecol 1997;90:983–9.[Abstract]
3. Foldspang A, Mommsen S, Lam GW, Elving L. Parity as a correlate of adult female urinary incontinence prevalence. J Epidemiol Community Health 1992;46:595–600.[Abstract]
4. Virtanen HS, Mäkinen JI. Retrospective analysis of 711 patients operated on for pelvic relaxation in 1983–1989. Int J Gynecol Obstet 1993;42:109–15.[Medline]
5. Sultan AH, Kamm MA, Hudson CN, Thomas JM, Bartram CI. Anal-sphincter disruption during vaginal delivery. N Engl J Med 1993;329:1905–11.
6. Kamm MA. Obstetric damage and faecal incontinence. Lancet 1994;344:730–3.[Medline]
7. Nichols DH, Randall CL. Vaginal surgery. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1989:64–81.
8. Van Dongen L. The anatomy of genital prolapse. S Afr Med J 1981;60:357–9.[Medline]
9. Fultz NH, Herzog AR, Raghunathan TE, Wallace RB, Diokno AC. Prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence in older African American and Caucasian women. J Gerontol 1999;54A:M299–M303.
10. Brown JS, Grady D, Ouslander JG, Herzog AR, Varner RE, Posner SF. Prevalence of urinary incontinence and associated risk factors in postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol 1999;94:66–70.
11. Bump RC. Racial comparisons and contrasts in urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Obstet Gynecol 1993;81:421–5.[Medline]
12. Howard DH, DeLancey JOL, Tunn R, Ashton-Miller JA. Racial differences in the structure and function of the stress urinary continence mechanism. Obstet Gynecol 2000;95:713–7.
13. Timonen S, Nuoranne E, Meyer B. Genital prolapse. Etiological factors. Ann Chir Gyn Fenn 1968;57:363–70.
14. Robinson JN, Norwitz ER, Cohen AP, McElrath TF, Lieberman ES. Epidural analgesia and third- or fourth-degree lacerations in nulliparas. Obstet Gynecol 1999;94:259–62.
15. Lydon-Rochelle MT, Albers L, Teaf D. Perineal outcomes and nurse-midwifery management. J Nurse Midwifery 1995;40:13–8.[Medline]
16. Duignan NM, Studd JWW, Hughes AO. Characteristics of normal labour in different racial groups. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1975;82:593–601.[Medline]
17. Tuck SM, Cardozo LD, Studd JWW, Gibb DMF, Cooper DJ. Obstetric characteristics in different racial groups. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1983;90:892–7.[Medline]
18. Albers LL, Schiff M, Gorwoda JG. The length of active labor in normal pregnancies. Obstet Gynecol 1996;87:355–9.[Abstract]
19. Magdi I. Obstetric injuries of the perineum. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Empire 1942;49:687–700.
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