What Is Shoulder Dystocia?

Shoulder dystocia is a childbirth complication, which refers to the situation where the fetus's shoulders are stuck at the pelvic exit after delivery of the fetal head and cannot be delivered. The incidence of shoulder dystocia is between 0.15% and 1.7%, which usually occurs in large children, and with the increase of the average fetal weight, the shoulder dystocia rate also increases. In addition, if the fetus does not adjust to the optimal position when passing through the birth canal, it will also cause shoulder dystocia. Although the incidence of shoulder dystocia is not high, once it occurs, if it is delayed or handled improperly, it will cause great harm to the pregnant woman and the fetus. ^[1]

Shoulder dystocia

Shoulder dystocia is a childbirth complication, which refers to the situation where the fetus's shoulders are stuck at the pelvic exit after delivery of the fetal head and cannot be delivered. The incidence of shoulder dystocia is between 0.15% and 1.7%, which usually occurs in large children, and with the increase of the average fetal weight, the shoulder dystocia rate also increases. In addition, if the fetus does not adjust to the optimal position when passing through the birth canal, it will also cause shoulder dystocia. Although the incidence of shoulder dystocia is not high, once it occurs, if it is delayed or handled improperly, it will cause great harm to pregnant women and fetuses. ^[1]