the influence of episiotomy in childbirth on the degree of posterior perineal tear

Background & objective: episiotomy complications include infection, pain, hematoma, and third- and fourth-degree tears. all primiparous women must undergo this procedure routinely. the current study was conducted with aim to examine the length of perineal tears in primiparous women with and without episiotomy referred to the basra maternity hospital in 2020. materials & methods: this clinical trial study involved 212 full-term, singleton, and primiparous women with cephalic fetuses weighing 2500-3000 gr. the samples were randomly divided into two test and control groups. in the test group, delivery occurred without an episiotomy, whereas in the control group, an episiotomy was performed. the length of the posterior perineal tear, the presence of an anterior perineal tear, and the necessity for repair were subsequently compared. results: in this study, 45.3% of women in the test group gave birth without perineal tears, while the remainder experienced posterior perineal tears (p<0.001). the mean length of posterior perineal tears in the test group was 3.64±1.15 cm, compared to 7.12±1.67 cm in the control group (p<0.001). the mean length of a second-degree posterior perineal tear in the test group was 5.32±1.17 cm, compared to 6.13±1.62 cm in the control group (p>0.05). conclusion: delivery without episiotomy decreased the incidence of posterior perineal tears; however, delivery without episiotomy should not be performed for all primiparous women.