Labor and delivery (13)
- Inducing labor: When to wait, when to induce
- Labor pain: Weigh your options for relief
- Home birth: Know the pros and cons
- see all in Labor and delivery
Postpartum care (7)
- Weight loss after pregnancy: Reclaiming your body
- Sex after pregnancy: Set your own timeline
- Postpartum care: What to expect after a vaginal birth
- see all in Postpartum care
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Episiotomy: When it's needed, when it's not
An episiotomy was once a routine part of childbirth, but the procedure isn't always necessary. Here's what you need to know about episiotomy risks, benefits and recovery.
By Mayo Clinic staffAn episiotomy is an incision made in the tissue between the vaginal opening and anus (perineum) during childbirth. Although an episiotomy was once a routine part of childbirth, that's no longer the case. If you're planning a vaginal delivery, here's what you need to know about episiotomy and childbirth.
The episiotomy tradition
For many years, an episiotomy was thought to help prevent more extensive vaginal tears during childbirth — and heal better than a natural tear. The procedure was also thought to reduce the risk of incontinence after childbirth and keep the bladder and rectum from drooping into the vagina.
Sounds reasonable, but researchers have found that routine episiotomies don't prevent these problems after all. Recovery is often uncomfortable, and sometimes the surgical incision is more extensive than a natural tear would have been. For some women, an episiotomy causes pain during sex in the months after delivery. An episiotomy also may increase the risk of fecal incontinence after delivery.
The new approach
Researchers say there's no need for a routine episiotomy, but the procedure is still warranted in some cases. Your health care provider may recommend an episiotomy if:
- Extensive vaginal tearing appears likely
- Your baby is in an abnormal position
- Your baby needs to be delivered quickly
If you need an episiotomy, you'll receive an injection of a local anesthetic to numb the tissue if you haven't had any other type of anesthesia or your anesthesia is no longer numbing the area. You're not likely to feel your health care provider making the incision or repairing it after delivery.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Robinson JN. Approach to episiotomy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Toglia MR. Repair of episiotomy and perineal lacerations associated with childbirth. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Carroli G, et al. Episiotomy for vaginal birth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009:CD000081.
- You and your baby: Prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab005.cfm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Getting in shape after your baby is born. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp131.cfm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Dame J, et al. Clinical inquiries: Does antepartum perineal massage reduce intrapartum lacerations? The Journal of Family Practice. 2008;57:480.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Minn. March 2, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on