Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, San Juan City Hospital, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Department of Statistics, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
P R Health Sci J. 2024 Sep;43(3):139-144.
Childbirth is considered to be both beautiful and traumatic. Following a vaginal delivery, some women express discontent with the appearance of their genitalia on social media and/or websites. This study explored how some women perceived their genitalia, post childbirth. Three groups were compared: women with a vaginal delivery, those with a cesarean-section, and those who had never given birth.
After the study received approval from the institutional review board, 224 female participants living in Puerto Rico and aged 21 to 42 years completed a questionnaire about their genital self-image.
Approximately 51% (n = 115) of the participants had never given birth; the others had given birth via C-section 23% (n = 51) or vaginally 26% (n = 58). In all 3 groups, 84% felt positive about their genitals, 79% expressed their satisfaction with the appearance of their genitals and 84%, with their size; 81% were not ashamed of their genitals.
Logistic regression found no significant difference in genital self-perception between delivery groups or nulliparous women. The adjusted odds ratios for positive genital image varied slightly between delivery methods but were not statistically significant (ranging from 0.65 to 1.11 for vaginal deliveries, and 0.42 to 1.00 for C-sections; P > .05). This suggests that the method of delivery does not have a significant impact on women's genital self-perception. However, for the 21% with negative perceptions, targeted support is essential; for those struggling with their self-image after childbirth, our results can inform support services to address concerns.
分娩被认为是既美丽又痛苦的。一些女性在阴道分娩后，会在社交媒体和/或网站上表达对生殖器外观的不满。本研究探讨了一些女性产后对生殖器的看法。比较了三组：阴道分娩组、剖宫产组和从未分娩过的组。
在这项研究获得机构审查委员会的批准后，224 名居住在波多黎各、年龄在 21 至 42 岁之间的女性参与者完成了一份关于生殖器自我形象的问卷。
约 51%（n=115）的参与者从未分娩过；其余的人通过剖宫产分娩 23%（n=51）或阴道分娩 26%（n=58）。在所有 3 组中，84%的人对自己的生殖器感到满意，79%的人对自己生殖器的外观表示满意，84%的人对自己生殖器的大小表示满意；81%的人对自己的生殖器不感到羞耻。
逻辑回归发现，分娩方式或未产妇之间的生殖器自我认知没有显著差异。不同分娩方式的阳性生殖器图像的调整后比值比略有差异，但无统计学意义（阴道分娩为 0.65 至 1.11，剖宫产为 0.42 至 1.00；P>0.05）。这表明分娩方式对女性的生殖器自我认知没有显著影响。然而，对于 21%有负面认知的人来说，有必要提供有针对性的支持；对于那些在分娩后对自己的形象感到挣扎的人，我们的研究结果可以为支持服务提供信息，以解决相关问题。
