Introduction: For the last few years, epidural analgesia has been a very popular method
used for reducing pain during labour. It provides effective relief of pain and enables the full
participation of women during labour. Some note that epidural analgesia affects the course
and outcome of labour. During labour, 85 % of women around the world suffer some degree
of perineal laceration. It can cause major physical, psychological, sexual and social
problems. Purpose: The aim is to determine the impact of epidural analgesia on perineal
lacerations during childbirth. We asked ourselves three research questions: what affect does
epidural analgesia have directly on spontaneous perineal lacerations, what effect does it have
on episiotomies, and how does it indirectly affect perineal lacerations. Methods: For
research a descriptive method was used with a review of professional and scientific
literature. Literature was searched in online databases from December 2022 to February
2023. Using the Prisma diagram, we found 8 relevant, content-appropriate and fully
accessible articles in English. Results: Women in labour with epidural analgesia often give
birth in the lithotomy position which increases the likelihood of severe perineal lacerations.
Use of epidural analgesia increases the probability of the prolonged I. and II. stage of labour
and stimulation of labour with uterotonics is 8 times higher among those with epidural
analgesia. Medical procedures for faster progress of labour which are used during prolonged
II. stage of labour increase the likelihood of severe perineal lacerations. Epidural analgesia
does not directly affect spontaneous perineal lacerations. The risk of episiotomy is 1.9 times
greater in those with epidural analgesia than in those without it. Discussion and conclusion:
Most researchers note that epidural analgesia does not directly affect spontaneous perineal
lacerations, including severe perineal lacerations. Epidural analgesia increases the likelihood
of episiotomy with the increased likelihood of instrumental delivery. They also note that it
increases the likelihood of prolonged II. stage of labour, stimulation of labour with
uterotonics, abnormal foetal position, birth in the lithotomy position and instrumental
delivery. All those factors increase the likelihood of spontaneous perineal lacerations,
including severe perineal lacerations, and episiotomy. We conclude that epidural analgesia
indirectly affects the increased probability of perineal injuries. It is important that midwives
provide support to the women in labour, encourage to withstand the pain during contractions
so they decide to use epidural analgesia only when most necessary.
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