PUR and Peppermint Oil?

Estimates of Postpartum Urinary Retention (PUR) incidence vary widely from 1.5% to 17.9%, with undiagnosed cases making the true incidence difficult to determine. A postvoid residual (PVR) volume of <150 mL is typically considered appropriate for normal bladder emptying, but this has been in the nonpregnant/non-postpartum population. In this group, some have proposed a PUR of up to 500ml as normal! That protocol, using the 500ml cut off, was just recently published in the J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med in Dec 2023. PUR is classified into 2 groups: overt (AKA symptomatic) and covert (asymptomatic) urinary retention; overt PUR traditionally has been defined as an inability to spontaneously void 4-6 h after vaginal delivery or the need for re-catheterization 4- 6 h after catheter removal following cesarean section. What’s the recommended plan of care after diagnosing PUR? Does bethanechol help? Can peppermint oil vapor help? Well…this is SOME data on this! Listen in for details.