Second-Stage Labor Duration, Epidural Analgesia, and Early Postpartum Pelvic Floor Electromyography: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 1,127 Vaginal Deliveries

Abstract Background: Prolonged second stage of labor is usually analyzed dichotomously, and the association between epidural analgesia and pelvic floor function remains contested, with electromyographic evidence limited and unadjusted for labor duration. We quantified the association of second-stage duration with early postpartum pelvic floor muscle electrophysiology and reassessed the epidural association using standardized surface electromyography (sEMG).