Postpartum period: three distinct but continuous phases.

Abstract

Postpartum period is distinct in three phases. The third phase is the delayed postpartum period, which can last up to 6 months. Some changes to the genitourinary system are much longer in resolving, and some may never fully revert to the prepregnant state. A burgeoning volume of literature on pelvic floor support implicates childbirth as the initiation of a whole host of conditions including stress urinary incontinence, incontinence of flatus or feces, uterine prolapse, cystocele, and rectocele. The duration and severity of these conditions affect many variables, including the patient's intrinsic collagen support, the size of the infant, the route of delivery, and the degree of perineal trauma occurring either naturally (lacerations) or iatrogenically (episiotomy).