{"id":50681,"date":"2025-04-25T21:35:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T01:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/mayo-health-library\/episiotomy-when-its-needed-when-its-not\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:52:31","slug":"episiotomy-when-its-needed-when-its-not","status":"publish","type":"mayo","link":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/de\/mayo-health-library\/episiotomy-when-its-needed-when-its-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Episiotomy: When it&#8217;s needed, when it&#8217;s not"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"container mx-auto   wordpress-block wordpress- core-\">\n<p>An episiotomy is a cut (incision) made in the tissue between the vaginal opening and the anus during childbirth. This area is called the perineum.<\/p>\n<p>Although an episiotomy was once a routine part of childbirth, that&#8217;s no longer the case. If you&#8217;re planning a vaginal delivery, here&#8217;s what you need to know about episiotomy and childbirth.<\/p>\n<p>For years, an episiotomy was thought to help prevent larger vaginal tears during childbirth. Experts believed an incision would heal better than a natural tear. The procedure was also thought to help preserve the muscles and connective tissue that support the pelvic floor.<\/p>\n<p>Today, however, research suggests that routine episiotomies don&#8217;t prevent these problems after all.<\/p>\n<p>Routine episiotomies are no longer recommended. Still, the procedure is sometimes needed. An incision might be recommended if a baby needs to be quickly delivered because:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The baby&#8217;s shoulder is stuck behind the pelvic bone<\/li>\n<li>The baby has an unusual heart rate pattern during delivery<\/li>\n<li>Forceps or vacuum extraction is needed during a vaginal delivery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Wie es funktioniert<\/h4>\n<p>If you need an episiotomy, you typically won&#8217;t feel the incision or the repair. If you haven&#8217;t had anesthesia or if the anesthesia has worn off, you&#8217;ll likely receive an injection of a local anesthetic to numb the tissue.<\/p>\n<p>Your health care provider will discuss different techniques for improving your comfort as you heal.<\/p>\n<p>There are two types of episiotomy incisions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Midline incision.<\/strong> A midline incision is done vertically. A midline incision is easier to repair. But it has a higher risk of extending into the anal area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mediolateral incision.<\/strong> A mediolateral incision is done at an angle. A mediolateral incision is less likely to result in an extended tear into the anal area. However, this incision is often more painful and more difficult to repair.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Episiotomy recovery is uncomfortable. Sometimes the incision is more extensive than a natural tear would have been. Infection is possible. For some, an episiotomy causes pain during sex in the months after delivery.<\/p>\n<p>A midline episiotomy puts you at risk of fourth-degree vaginal tearing. This type of tearing extends through the anal sphincter and into the mucous membrane that lines the rectum. Fecal incontinence could result.<\/p>\n<p>Any stitches used to repair the episiotomy are usually absorbed on their own. You might take prescription medications or use a nonprescription pain reliever or stool softener. However, pain-relieving creams or ointments haven&#8217;t been found to be effective for episiotomy wounds.<\/p>\n<p>While you&#8217;re healing, expect the discomfort to improve over time. Contact your health care provider if the pain gets worse. Also call your provider if you develop a fever or if the wound produces pus. These could be symptoms of an infection.<\/p>\n<p>Share your thoughts about episiotomy with your health care provider during your prenatal visits and when labor begins. Remember, though, to go into labor with an open mind. It&#8217;ll take time for the baby to stretch the vaginal tissues to allow delivery. But sometimes the baby needs to be delivered before the vaginal tissues can stretch on their own.<\/p>\n<p>Count on your health care provider to respect your wishes about episiotomy &mdash; and to let you know when it&#8217;s the safest option for you and your baby.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Planning a vaginal delivery? Find out when an incision between the vagina and anus might be needed during childbirth.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1681,1682,149],"class_list":["post-50681","mayo","type-mayo","status-publish","hentry","tag-life-stage","tag-person-group-concept","tag-pregnancy","content_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Episiotomy: When it&#039;s needed, when it&#039;s not - Hancock Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/de\/mayo-health-library\/episiotomy-when-its-needed-when-its-not\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Episiotomy: When it&#039;s needed, when it&#039;s not - Hancock Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Planning a vaginal delivery? 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