Postpartum Urinary Retention after Vaginal Delivery: Assessment of Risk Factors in a Case Control Analytical Study

Objective: To assess the obstetric risk factors of postpartum urinary retention (PPUR) after vaginal delivery. Study design: A case control analytical study. Materials and methods: Out of 1500 women included in the study, 258 women (17.2%) who had postpartum urinary retention were cases and 1242 women (82.8%) who did not were controls. Postpartum urinary retention was defined as the inability to void within 6 hours of delivery or who had postvoid residual bladder volume ≥150 ml. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors of post-partum urinary retention. Result: Prolonged duration of the second stage of labor [Odds Ratio (OR)=1.0858, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) for OR=1.0640 to 1.1080, p value<0.001], presence of episiotomy (OR=90.2116, 95% CI for OR=13.3786 to 608.2946, p value<0.001), perineal laceration (OR=104.3896, 95% CI for OR=32.6871 to 333.3784, p value<0.001), and birth weight of >4000 g for the newborn(OR=136.2499, 95% CI for OR=45.8096 to 423.7436, p value<0.001), were found to be independent risk factors for PPUR after vaginal delivery. Conclusion: Post-partum urinary retention is a relatively common disorder which may cause permanent harm to bladder function. The obstetrician may avoid this complication by the knowledge of risk factors. To determine whether routine postpartum bladder scanning is cost-effective and beneficial, further studies are needed.