The short explanation
Yes. Difficulty controlling wind or stool after a forceps delivery can happen if the muscles around the back passage or the nerves were stretched or torn. It is more common than people realise, and doctors can help. It is worth raising early, because treatment and exercises work better when started sooner. Your doctor may examine you and refer you to a pelvic floor physiotherapist or a specialist who can check the anal sphincter muscle.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Pelvic floor exercises, guided by a physiotherapist, can improve control for many women. Managing constipation and diarrhoea also helps.
- If you had a known third- or fourth-degree tear, you should have specific follow-up.
- Embarrassment stops many women from mentioning this. Clinicians hear it often, and you can ask for a woman doctor.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot tell whether there is a muscle injury or how much. An examination and sometimes a scan are needed.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Could there be damage to the muscles around my back passage?
- Should I see a pelvic floor physiotherapist?
- Do I need any scan or specialist review?
- What does this mean for a future delivery?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, a high fever with shivering, chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby.
Get help the same day
- Get seen the same day if you have severe pain, fever or a foul discharge from the area.
Book an appointment soon
- See your doctor within a few days to discuss the symptoms.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Follow up with physiotherapy and keep track of improvement.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Pelvic floor disorders MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Postpartum care MedlinePlus (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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