URINARY RETENTION IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEENOBSTETRIC FACTORS AND THE POSTPARTUM POST-VOID RESIDUAL BLADDER VOLUME

Objective. The three objectives of this study are: to investigate the incidence of post-partum urinary retention after vaginal delivery to i nvestigate the relationship between various obstetric parameters and t he post-partum post-void residual bladder volume and to study the natu ral progression of the post-void residual bladder volume in patients w ith covert post-partum urinary retention. Methods. Women who had a vag inal delivery (n = 691) in a teaching hospital during a 2-month period were studied. They were classified into three groups: normal patients , those with overt urinary retention, and covert urinary retention. Th eir day 1 post-partum post-void residual bladder volume were recorded and analyzed with respect to the obstetric parameters. Patients with c overt retention were followed up daily with ultrasound to monitor thei r post-void residual volume. Results. The incidences of overt and cove rt retention in our unit were 4.9% and 9.7%, respectively. The overall incidence of post-partum urinary retention after vaginal delivery was 14.6%. The duration of the first and second stages of labor were sign ificantly associated with the post-partum post-void residual bladder v olume, In all patients with covert retention, their post-void residual volume returned to normal within 4 days. Conclusion. Post-partum urin ary retention is a common phenomenon that may be related to the proces s of parturition. Covert retention is a self-limiting phenomenon and s pecific treatment is unnecessary.