Title	The effect of domestic violence on pregnancy and labour
Author	Lent et al
Synopsis	This paper reviews current evidence from the medical, nursing, & midwifery literature, with a particular focus on clinical issues
Description	Labour and delivery can be particularly difficult for women with a history of sexual abuse, and physicians and other birth attendants unaware of the abuse could have difficulty understanding their seemingly unusual behaviour. As labour progresses, the increasing pain, the subsequent sense of loss of control, and the repeated pelvic and genital examinations by multiple caregivers can result in unexpectedly extreme responses from labouring women¾ from too quiet and passive to screaming, crying, or uncontrollable terror. Other women respond by becoming overly controlling or demanding. Still others dissociate during labour or delivery. Some accoucheurs have even speculated that a history of abuse plays a role in inadequate fetal descent and prolonged second stage, based on their interactions with abused women during labour.20
Links (if any)	DV, Pregnancy, and Labor    (Click here if this link doesn't work)