Clinical Research Directory

Feasibility of the Menstrual Cup for VVF

This study examines the feasibility and acceptability of the vaginal menstrual cup for short-term management of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) among 11 women seeking treatment at a health facility in Ghana. The repeated measures design utilizes a 2-hr pad test to compare urinary leakage with and without the insertable cup, a questionnaire on acceptability and perceived effect is administered and a clinical exam is completed. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews will be carried out with up to 24 additional women seeking treatment at a health facility in Ghana. Interviews will cover women's experiences of living with fistula, including strategies for coping with urinary incontinence and resulting stigma, as well as user acceptability to the intervention.

Perineal Massage Using A Pelvic Wand During Pregnancy

There is limited research on the optimal strategy to reduce obstetric laceration, postpartum urinary retention, and postpartum pelvic pain. In systematic reviews, clinician-directed massage of the perineal muscles at the time of birth and patient directed massage of the perineal muscles in the third trimester to inconsistently reduce the incidence of severe obstetric laceration.1,2 However, there is significant heterogeneity of these studies is due in large part to the lack of a standardized protocols and unpredictability of clinician availability to perform perineal massage around the time of birth. The purpose of this study is to understand how perineal massage with a pelvic wand in late pregnancy and during labor influences one's sense of self-control over the labor process and birth experience.