Symptom Questionnaire Study - Outcomes after OASIS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A retrospective study with up to date follow up of women who sustained obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) and their pelvic floor outcomes.
IRAS ID
193547
Contact name
Ash Monga
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that make a sling around the organs in the pelvis including the vagina and uterus (womb), the rectum (back passage) and bladder.
Around 85% of women have some level of tearing during vaginal childbirth. Some women have a tear that extends to the anal sphincter (the muscles of the back passage) and sometimes into the back passage. Women who have had these tears are at greater risk of pelvic floor problems. Problems with the pelvic floor can cause urinary incontinence (leaking urine), faecal incontinence (leaking poo) and sexual dysfunction. Due to embarrassment many women avoid seeking advice. This means that there are many women suffering who are not known about.
Some women who have tears in their first birth go on to have an elective caesarean section at their second delivery, others will have vaginal deliveries and some will have emergency caesarean sections.
The purpose of this questionnaire is to compare the symptoms of a group of women who have had a single vaginal birth with a group of women who have had a second birth (either vaginal or C-section). We can then identify if the type of delivery at the second delivery has an effect on the long-term symptoms. All the women involved in our study will have had a tear at the birth of their first child.
We will also look at whether women had endoanal ultrasounds (scans of the back passage) after they had the tear, and if they did, what was understood from this procedure and any advice given.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0867
Date of REC Opinion
11 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion