Anthropometric Measurements on Size and Labour Outcomes

Overview

This study aims to evaluate women's physical body measurements and externally measurable pelvis measurements and determine their impact on labor pain level, duration of labor, and mode of delivery. The study was conducted between December 2022 and June 2023 at the Zeynep Kamil Women and Children's Health Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The sample size was calculated using the OpenEpi program with a confidence interval of 80% and a sampling error of 0.05, resulting in a sample size of 139 individuals. Anticipating potential loss to follow-up during the study, the sample size was increased by 10% to 153 individuals. This sample group was divided into three equal groups, and pelvis measurement evaluations were recorded. Each group included 51 pregnant women. Data were collected through face-to-face measurements conducted by researchers using various forms, including an introductory information form, physical examination measurement form, transvaginal ultrasound measurement form, birth evaluation form, postpartum and neonatal evaluation form, visual analog pain scale (VAS) form, external pelvis measurement form and vaginal examination with pelvis measurement form.

Background: One of the most critical factors in the progression of labour is the compatibility between the fetal head and the maternal pelvis. Therefore, the assessment of the pelvis during childbirth is of great importance. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate women's physical body measurements in relation to externally measurable pelvic dimensions, to examine the relationship between them, and to determine their impact on pain levels during labour, the duration of labour, and the mode of delivery. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and June 2023 in the labour ward of a maternity hospital in Istanbul, involving 153 pregnant women. The sample was evenly divided into three groups, with 51 participants in each, and pelvic measurement assessments were recorded accordingly. In the first group, participants' physical body measurements were evaluated alongside pelvic dimensions measured via vaginal examination. In the second group, physical measurements were assessed together with external pelvic measurements. In the third group, physical body measurements were evaluated in conjunction with pelvic assessments obtained through transvaginal ultrasonographic measurements. The results obtained from the three groups were compared with one another. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and direct measurements performed by the researchers using the following instruments: a descriptive information form, physical examination measurement form, transvaginal ultrasonography measurement form, labour assessment form, postpartum and neonatal evaluation form, visual analogue scale for pain, external pelvic measurement form, and vaginal pelvic examination form. Keywords: Physical Body Measurements, External Pelvic Measurements, Labour Pain, Duration of Labour, Mode of Delivery, Midwife