Gommesen D, et al. - In this study, researchers investigated how maternal and obstetric characteristics, including the degree of perineal rupture, are associated with anal incontinence 12 months postpartum. Moreover, they examined the association between anal sphincter muscle defects, perineal length, and perineal strength and the risk of anal incontinence. In this prospective cohort study, they identified a total of 603 primiparous women for inclusion (203 with no/labia/first-degree ruptures, 200 with second-degree ruptures, and 200 with third-/fourth-degree ruptures) from 4 Danish hospitals: Odense University Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Esbjerg Hospital, and Kolding Hospital. At 12 months postpartum, questionnaire was answered by 575 women (95%); 193 with no/labia/first-degree ruptures, 193 with second-degree ruptures, and 189 with third-/fourth-degree ruptures. The analysis revealed that the risk of anal incontinence was high in correlation with obesity with a BMI of > 29.9 and a high-degree rupture (3c or 4), especially with a persistent defect in the internal or external anal sphincter muscle.