Forceps severely injure 1 in 4 Canadian mothers when used in childbirth: study
CTV
Mothers in Canada are severely injured in as many as one out of four deliveries involving forceps, according to a study published in the BMJ Thursday.
Mothers and birthing parents in Canada are severely injured in as many as one out of four deliveries involving forceps, according to a study published in the BMJ Thursday.
The study's authors – epidemiologists, obstetricians, urogynecologists and community advocates from Canada and Sweden – found more than 10 years of evidence that forceps and vacuum deliveries in Canada are linked with a high rate of injury in mothers and babies. In fact, among high-income countries, Canada has the highest rate of maternal trauma after births in which tools like forceps and vacuums are used, according to a study published today.
Despite the risk of harm, lead author Giulia Muraca said little-to-no effort has been made to highlight or solve the problem in Canada.
"It's hidden. No one speaks about it because of obvious reasons, like it's embarrassing or some people think this is just a normal side effect of childbirth, and it's not," she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday.
The study calls for a national shift toward increased recognition, transparency and action to better inform patients of the risks and prevent future injuries.
When labour stalls and pushing is no longer an option, doctors often recommend forceps- and vacuum-assisted deliveries as safe alternatives to a C-section delivery. These deliveries are also known as operative vaginal deliveries.
However, according to data on maternal and neonatal injury and death, there is no clear advantage to performing operative vaginal deliveries over C-section deliveries. In fact, operative vaginal deliveries in Canada lead to maternal injuries such as severe perineal and cervical lacerations in one out of every four forceps deliveries and one out of every eight vacuum deliveries.
