Table 1.
Characteristics of parturient women included in the study
| Period 1 | Period 2 | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 178 | n = 188 | ||
| Age, years | 31.6 (29.0–35.0) | 32.2 (28.1–35.2) | 0.65 |
| Gravida | 2 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.21 |
| Parity | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0.83 |
| Multipara, n (%) | 86 (48%) | 88 (47%) | 0.83 |
| Previous epidural analgesia in multiparous women, n (%) | 72 (84%) | 79 (90%) | 0.27 |
| Satisfaction of previous epidural analgesia, yes/no | 61/11 | 61/18 | 0.30 |
| Socio-professional grade, n (%) | |||
| Non-working | 44 (25%) | 56 (30%) | |
| Students | 9 (5%) | 8 (4%) | |
| Workers | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Employees | 49 (27%) | 50 (27%) | 0.92 |
| Craftsman, merchant, self-employed | 12 (7%) | 11 (6%) | |
| Middle class, intermediate profession | 41 (23%) | 38 (20%) | |
| Upper Class | 23 (13%) | 25 (13%) | |
| Childbirth preparation classes following, n (%) | 86 (48%) | 84 (45%) | 0.53 |
| Pre-eclampsia | 7 (4%) | 4 (2%) | 0.37 |
| Twin pregnancy | 2 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 0.24 |
| Preterm birth | 4 (2%) | 4 (2%) | 0.99 |
| Complicated vaginal delivery | |||
| Instrumental vaginal delivery | 26 (15%) | 28 (15%) | 0.99 |
| Episiotomy | 26 (15%) | 16 (9%) | 0.07 |
| Perineal tear | 74 (42%) | 102 (54%) | 0.02 |
| Manual uterine exploration | 16 (9%) | 19 (10%) | 0.73 |
| Conversion to caesarean section | 37 (21%) | 30 (16%) | 0.28 |
| Post-partum hemorrhage | |||
| Immediate | 8 (4%) | 10 (5%) | 0.83 |
| Delayed | 2 (1%) | 2 (1%) | |
| Fetal distress during delivery | |||
| Fetal heart rate abnormalities | 35 (20%) | 41 (22%) | 0.70 |
| Meconium-stained amniotic fluid | 23 (13%) | 22 (12%) | 0.75 |
| New-born resuscitation | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | - |
Continuous variables are reported as median (25th-75th percentile). Distributions were compared between the two periods with the chi-square or Fisher exact test, as appropriate, for qualitative variables and with the Mann–Whitney-Wilcoxon test for continuous variables