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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Mrs
Sue
Tohill
+44 (0)121 414 9106
s.tohill@bham.ac.uk
Dr
Victoria
Hodgetts-Morton
+44 (0)121 414 9106
v.a.h.morton@bham.ac.uk
Childbirth-related perineal trauma
This information is provided directly by researchers and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information.
Each year in the UK, 80% of women who give birth vaginally (450,000 women), experience damage, such as a tear or graze, to the tissues, muscles and skin around the bladder, vagina and perineum (the skin between the vagina and back passage). This is referred to as Childbirth Related Perineal Trauma (CRPT). For most women, these tears are minor and heal quickly. However, some women may experience problems if these tears don’t heal properly. Some of these problems may be short-term, such as infection and discomfort. However, some women may suffer from long-term issues and may find themselves struggling to control their usual bodily functions such as passing urine, wind and stool. These symptoms may impact their overall quality of life and ability to care for their newborn baby and older children. Additionally, dealing with these issues can put a strain on women’s intimate relationships. Some women may feel too embarrassed to seek help about their symptoms or are unaware of how to access support and treatment.
At the moment, we understand some of the risk factors associated with tearing while giving birth vaginally. However, we know very little about how women recover from these tears. We currently do not collect information to tell us how frequent or serious the complications following a tear are. Additionally, we are unaware where women turn to access care and how satisfied they are with the support and advice they receive. This has led to poor understanding about the extent of these issues amongst healthcare professionals and the wider society.
The CHAPTER cohort study aims to learn more about how experiencing a tear through vaginal birth can impact women’s lives and how frequently complications relating to tears occur. This is part of the CHAPTER study, a larger national research programme that is working to improve the care women receive during the healing of their stitches or tear after giving birth vaginally. In order to do this, we intend to recruit 1000 women who have recently given birth and experienced a tear in the cohort study. We will then follow their recovery for the first 12 months after they’ve given birth, collecting information about how they are feeling at various stages throughout the year. We will ask these women to complete a questionnaire at 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after giving birth and collect information about their physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing.
The information we gain from this study will help us put forward recommendations for developing care pathways and education resources for healthcare professionals to ultimately optimise the quality of care women receive and hopefully improve the lives of thousands of women across the UK.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Does not meet inclusion criteria
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Dr
Victoria
Hodgetts-Morton
+44 (0)121 414 9106
v.a.h.morton@bham.ac.uk
Mrs
Sue
Tohill
+44 (0)121 414 9106
s.tohill@bham.ac.uk
The study is sponsored by Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and funded by NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF).
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Or CPMS 56469
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
