Sheng Y, et al. - In the Evaluating Maternal Recovery from Labor and Delivery study, whether or not a pubovisceral muscle tear affects the ability to increase urethral closure pressure during a volitional pelvic muscle contraction was tested. Fifty-six women, who had at least one risk factor for pubovisceral muscle tear (eg, forceps and long 2nd stage), were studied 8 months after their first vaginal birth. In the first postpartum year, there seemed no influence of the presence of a pubovisceral muscle tear on resting urethral closure. However, a 25% lower urethral closure pressure was observed during an attempted pelvic muscle contraction among women with a pubovisceral muscle tear than those without a pubovisceral muscle tear. Classic behavioral interventions, such as “squeeze when you sneeze” or strengthen through repetitive pelvic muscle exercises, may not work in these women with pubovisceral muscle tear. In scenarios of using a rapid rise to maximum urethral pressure as a conscious volitional maneuver, it seems to be reliant on the ability to recruit the intact pubovisceral muscle in order to simultaneously contract the urethral striated muscle.