Postpartum urinary retention (PUR) is a common complication after childbirth, but there is no consensus on the best treatment approach. To address this, a multi-center randomized controlled trial was conducted comparing two catheterization strategies for PUR management. The study included individuals with PUR up to 6 hours following vaginal or Cesarean delivery, who were randomly assigned to either intermittent catheterization (IC) every 6 hours for up to 4 times, or continuous catheterization (CC) with an indwelling urinary catheter for 24 hours. If PUR persisted after 24 hours, an indwelling catheter was inserted for an additional 24 hours in both groups.  The primary endpoint of the study was the mean time to PUR resolution. Secondary endpoints included post-catheter urinary tract infection rate and length of hospital stay, while satisfaction rate was assessed using the Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS-30) questionnaire. Results showed that intermittent catheterization led to significantly shorter resolution times compared to continuous catheterization (10.2±11.8 hours vs. 26.5±9.0 hours, p0.001). Additionally, higher resolution rates were observed in the intermittent catheterization group after one and two catheterizations (75% and 93%, respectively). The satisfaction rate was also higher in all categories in the intermittent catheterization group compared to the continuous catheterization group (p0.001). No significant differences were found in urinary tract infection rates or length of hospital stay between the two groups.

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