SynthesisReproductive health2021
The prevalence of uterine fundal pressure during the second stage of labour for women giving birth in health facilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Reproductive health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gentle fundal pressure to facilitate vaginal delivery: A randomized clinical trial.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2025Trial
- A comparison in maternal and neonatal outcomes between mild fundal pressure and vacuum extraction for shortening the second stage of labor.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Article
- Making sense of fundal pressure: A qualitative study on women's experiences of a non-evidence-based yet commonly practiced intervention.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2025Article
- Evidence-based intrapartum care during vaginal births: Direct observations in a tertiary care hospital in Central Sri Lanka.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- Comparing observed occurrence of mistreatment during childbirth with women's self-report: a validation study in Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.BMJ global health · 2023Article
- The clinical presentation and detection of tuberculosis during pregnancy and in the postpartum period in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- The condemned fundal pressure maneuver: time to reconsider?Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2022Article
- Quality aspects relating to giving birth in Switzerland: An analysis of quality indicators in inpatient obstetrics from 2013 to 2017.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUterine fundal pressure involves a birth attendant pushing on the woman's uterine fundus to assist vaginal birth. It is used in some clinical settings, though guidelines recommend against it. This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of uterine fundal pressure during the second stage of labour for women giving birth vaginally at health facilities.
methodsThe population of interest were women who experienced labour in a health facility and in whom vaginal birth was anticipated. The primary outcome was the use of fundal pressure during second stage of labour. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Global Index Medicus databases were searched for eligible studies published from 1 January 2000 onwards. Meta-analysis was conducted to determine a pooled prevalence, with subgroup analyses to explore heterogeneity.
resultsEighty data sets from 76 studies (n = 898,544 women) were included, reporting data from 22 countries. The prevalence of fundal pressure ranged from 0.6% to 69.2% between studies, with a pooled prevalence of 23.2% (95% CI 19.4-27.0, I
conclusionsThe use of uterine fundal pressure on women during vaginal birth in health facilities is widespread. Efforts to prevent this potentially unnecessary and harmful practice are needed.
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