Keywords
Childbirth Care
Vaginal Birth
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the association between the occurrence and grade of vaginal tear and the sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal profile of puerperal women who underwent vaginal birth as well as the position adopted during childbirth. Methodology: This cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted in a referral maternity hospital for high-risk obstetrics in the state of Pará, Brazil. A total of 139 medical records of puerperal women who underwent vaginal birth between 2022 and 2023 were analyzed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, adopting a statistical significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Among the 139 puerperal women analyzed, 97 presented vaginal tears, with grade I tears predominating. A higher incidence of tear was observed among non-nulliparous women, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.015). An association was identified between neonatal weight and the grade of tear (p = 0.013), which indicates that higher birth weights were related to more severe tears. No associations were observed between the occurrence of tears and maternal age, educational level, the position adopted during childbirth, or the professional category responsible for childbirth care. Conclusion: An association was identified between the occurrence of vaginal tears and parity as well as between the grade of tear and newborn birth weight. These findings contribute to the understanding of factors involved in the occurrence of vaginal tears in the Amazonian context and support discussions on strategies to improve childbirth care.
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