About 1 in 4 times forceps are used during childbirth in Canada, a mom is injured: study
A new study from the University of Alberta recommends limiting the use of forceps during childbirth.
U of A experts on incontinence say educating both clinicians and mothers will help to prevent lifelong injuries to women.
According to the study, Canada has an alarmingly high rate of forcep use during childbirth.
“Often women who have had this type of delivery are completely shell-shocked because they’ve got infection, they’ve got pain, they’ve got a newborn and they had no idea that this was even a possibility,” Jane Schulz, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology in the faculty of medicine and dentistry, explained.
“Education is needed for both patients and health providers that this is a potential complication.”
Use of forceps can lead to some immediate and long-term complications that can include infection, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
“These birth injuries sometimes result in conditions which are extremely troublesome in later life,” Adrian Wagg, the division director of geriatric medicine and scientific director for the AHS Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network, added.
'WE'RE NOT DOING WELL COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES'
Forceps, described as similar to “large sugar tongs,” are placed on a baby’s head to pull it out.
“The blades go around the baby’s head and can potentially tear muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor or cause damage to the nerves that supply the pelvic floor,” Schulz said.
The study shows that researchers looked at close to two million birth records from Canada, Norway, Sweden and Austria with a focus on first-time births.
It revealed five per cent of the women had third or fourth-degree tears to their perineum. Both Canada and Sweden had the highest recorded rates of injury, whereas Austria and Norway had the lowest.
A study conducted in 2016 showed roughly 24.3 per cent of Canadian mothers with forceps deliveries were injured, in comparison to Norway where it was only 6.4 per cent.
Those injuries were associated with the use of instruments such as a vacuum or forceps during delivery, the study read.
“We’re not doing well compared to other countries that were chosen based on similar social demographics and health-care services,” Schulz said.
She added that some women are more prone to injury depending on the size of their baby or if they have a shorter perineum.
That's why both Schulz and Wagg want to improve education for clinicians to better inform new mothers of their birth options.
“I advocate for women to be fully informed about their options in childbirth and counsel women to avoid forceps if at all possible,” Wagg said. “Caesarean section is the fallback option.”
Schulz encourages patients to be assessed six weeks before childbirth to ensure they get the care they need to avoid any long-term damage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.