A survey of the prevalence of persistent pain after vaginal delivery: a pilot study

Abstract

Pain that has lasted for 2 months is considered to be persistent, as defined by The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). To date, there is no data on the incidence of persistent pain after vaginal delivery available for Ireland. The aim of this pilot study is to determine the incidence of persistent pain in women post-vaginal delivery at 8 weeks postpartum in the Coombe Women's & Infants University Hospital, Dublin (CWIUH). 50 women post-vaginal delivery at the CWIUH were recruited over a 2-month period. At 8 weeks after delivery, the patients were contacted by telephone interview to assess the presence of pain, if any, using a modified painDETECT Questionnaire. The incidence of persistent pain at 8 weeks from our pilot study is 28%.