Pelvic floor symptoms one year postpartum following forceps and vacuum deliveries: Impact of levator ani muscle avulsion
Forceps delivery increased the odds of vaginal bulge symptoms one year after delivery compared to both vacuum and spontaneous birth. In women with no levator ani muscle avulsion, we found no difference between the instruments. A higher PFDI-20 score indicates greater symptom burden after forceps delivery, which seems to be mediated through the presence of levator ani avulsion.
Authors
- Ingrid Volløyhaug (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9392-1674)
- Sindre Grindheim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7375-8080)
- Elham Baghestan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0933-6988)
- Franziska Siafarikas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7413-8307)
- Jørg Kessler
Institutions
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- Akershus University Hospital (NO)
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Published
- 2026-02-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2026.02.018
- Primary Topic
- Pelvic floor disorders treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00