Women's Experiences and Frequency of Vaginal Examination during Labour

Objective: Vaginal examinations (VE's) are techniques that are widely used by midwives, nurses or doctors to assess the progress of labor. The present study aimed to determine the women's experiences and frequency of VE during labor. Methods: A total of 328 women who gave vaginal birth were included in this descriptive study conducted in Turkey between January and October 2019. Data were collected in the first 24 h after birth using the "Personal Information Form" and "The Women's Experiences of Vaginal Examinations in Labour Scale". Results: VE was performed 4.05 +/- 1.72 (range,1-12) times and by 2.41 +/- 1.24 (range,1-7) different medical personnel during labor. During VE, women mostly experience fear, pain, and shame. The average score of women on the WEVEL scale was 74.18 +/- 10.08 (good level). VE experiences of women to whom information was provided before the procedure, for whom the sex of medical personnel did not matter, whose privacy was protected, and on whom VE was performed by the same medical personnel were more positive; the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: VE should be performed while considering the sociocultural characteristics of the woman, paying attention to her privacy, only in cases where it is necessary and by the same medical personnel, as much as possible.