Abstract
Background. Vaginal hematoma is a rare but painful complication during and after childbirth, with little information in the literature regarding risk factors and management. Aim. To study the risk factors in a national population-based registry. Setting. All births in Sweden from 1987 to 2000 inclusive. Methods. Data were analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel technique, with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), adjusting for maternal age, parity and birthweight. Results. Nulliparity was a strong risk factor (OR 3.63, 95% CI 3.25-4.08), as was maternal age over 29 years and a birthweight exceeding 4000 g. Irrespective of year of delivery the mother stayed an extra 1.3-1.7 days in hospital following this complication. Conclusion. Risk factors for vaginal hematoma during delivery include primiparity and a maternal age > 29 years.