Concomitant and repeated happenings of complications of the third stage of labour

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Abstract
Complications of the 3rd stage of vaginal delivery were studied among 36,312 women in Aberdeen [Scotland] between 1967-1981. There was no change in the incidence of retained placenta (RP), but there was a secular increase in postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Postpartum hemorrhage was 3 times more common when there was a retained placenta. PPH was commoner in primiparae and after induced labor. The main focus of this paper is on the analysis of the risks of repetition among 6615 woment with 2 or 3 live births between 1967-1980. A history of PPH and or RP increased the relative risks of PPH and/or RP in a subsequent birth by between 2-4 times compared with women without such a history. The risk of repetition was increased if the subsequent birth was induced, or if there was an intervening abortion. Only a minority of the multiparae who experienced a 3rd stage complication had a previous history of such a complication.