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Home /
Women's Health Issues /
Complications of Labor and Delivery /
... /
Operative Vaginal Delivery /

OTHER TOPICS IN THIS CHAPTER

Complications of Labor and Delivery
Introduction to Complications of Labor and Delivery
Abnormal Position and Presentation of the Fetus
Amniotic Fluid Embolism
Excessive Uterine Bleeding at Delivery
Fetal Distress
Inverted Uterus
Labor That Progresses Too Slowly
Multiple Births
Nuchal Cord
Placenta Accreta
Postterm Pregnancy and Postmaturity
Prelabor Rupture of the Membranes (PROM)
Preterm Labor
Prolapsed Umbilical Cord
Uterine Rupture
Cesarean Delivery
Induction of Labor
Operative Vaginal Delivery

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Vulvar Cancer
Vulvar cancer, usually a skin cancer, develops in the area around the opening of the vagina. Which type of vulvar cancer does NOT tend to spread to distant sites?

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Operative Vaginal Delivery

By

Julie S. Moldenhauer

, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Last full review/revision Jan 2020| Content last modified Jan 2020
Click here for the Professional Version
NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version
Click here for the Professional Version
Topic Resources

Operative vaginal delivery is delivery using a vacuum extractor or forceps.

A vacuum extractor consists of a small cup made of a rubberlike material that is connected to a vacuum. It is inserted into the vagina and uses suction to attach to the fetus’s head. If vacuum extraction delivery is tried and is unsuccessful, cesarean delivery is done. Rarely, a vacuum extractor bruises the baby’s scalp or causes bleeding in the baby’s eyes (retinal hemorrhage). Vacuum extraction also increases the risk of shoulder dystocia (especially if the baby is large) and jaundice.

Forceps are metal surgical instruments with rounded edges that fit around the fetus’s head. Rarely, using forceps bruises the baby or tears the area between the opening of the woman’s vagina and anus (called the perineum).

Vacuum extraction or forceps delivery may be required in the following situations:

  • When the fetus is in distress

  • When the woman becomes too tired to push effectively

  • When labor is prolonged

  • When the woman has a disorder (such as some brain or heart disorders) that make vigorous pushing inadvisable

Using Forceps or a Vacuum Extractor

Forceps or a vacuum extractor may be used to help with delivery. Forceps are placed around the baby’s head. A vacuum extractor uses suction to adhere to the baby’s head. With either device, the baby is gently pulled out as the woman pushes.

Using Forceps or a Vacuum Extractor
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© 2020 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA)
Induction of Labor
Problems With Amniotic Fluid
Others also read
Introduction to Complications of Labor and Delivery Introduction to Complications of Labor and Delivery
Genital Birth Defects Genital Birth Defects
Postterm Pregnancy and Postmaturity Postterm Pregnancy and Postmaturity

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