- Academic Editors
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†These authors contributed equally.
Background: Different modes of delivery are strongly associated with
postpartum pelvic floor muscle (PFM) injury and postpartum pelvic floor
dysfunction. This study used Glazer PFM surface electromyography (sEMG) to
objectively assess postpartum PFM function to determine the effects of different
modes of delivery on pelvic floor function in the early postpartum period in
primiparous women. Methods: There were 1286 cases of cesarean delivery
(CD) and 2099 cases of vaginal delivery (VD). The vaginal delivery group was
further divided into four subgroups (A: intact perineum without laceration and
first-degree laceration; B: second-degree laceration; C: mediolateral episiotomy;
D: forceps delivery). Pelvic floor sEMG indices of the subjects were analyzed at
6–8 weeks postpartum. Results: The results showed that the mean peak
amplitude of phasic (flick) contractions and the mean amplitude of tonic
contractions were both significantly higher in CD than in VD (p