Obstetric trauma rates have dropped since 2000 for vaginal deliveries both with and without instrument assistance, but assisted deliveries are still six times more likely to result in injuries, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In 2014, the trauma rate for unassisted vaginal deliveries was 19 per 1,000, a drop of 51% from the rate of 39 per 1,000 deliveries in 2000.
For this analysis, injuries were defined as third- or fourth-degree lacerations of the perineum; rates were adjusted by age using hospitalizations for 2010 as the standard population.