How the Method of Bladder Emptying After Epidural Placement in Labor Affects Postpartum Voiding

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH · Aug 12, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how different ways of helping patients empty their bladder during labor—after receiving an epidural pain relief—affect their ability to urinate after giving birth. Sometimes, numbness from the epidural makes it hard to feel when the bladder is full, so a small tube called a catheter is used to drain urine. Some patients have a catheter placed once and left in during labor, while others have the catheter put in and taken out multiple times to empty the bladder. The study will compare these two methods to see which one leads to fewer problems with urination and urinary infections after delivery.

Pregnant people who are 18 years or older, planning to have a vaginal birth, and receiving an epidural are eligible to take part. Participants can expect to have their bladder emptied either by one catheter left in place or by several catheter placements during labor. The study will carefully track any urinary issues or infections that happen after birth. This research is important because urinary problems after childbirth can affect comfort and health in the weeks that follow, and finding the best bladder care during labor could help prevent these issues.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnant patients planning vaginal delivery presenting in labor or for induction of labor
• • Age 18 years and older
• • Live fetus
• • Receive epidural anesthesia
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • those under 18 years old
• • those with stillbirth
• • those with baseline overactive bladder symptoms, neurogenic bladder diagnoses, or otherwise using bladder catheterization during pregnancy
• Patients will be excluded from UTI analyses if:
• • they received antibiotics intrapartum
• • had bacteriuria diagnosed by a clean catch specimen showing \>100,000 CFU/mL of a single bacterial species, regardless of symptoms