The Impact of Prenatal Perineal Massage on the Risk of Perineal Tears During Vaginal Childbirth
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Abstract
Perineal trauma is one of the most common complications experienced by women during vaginal childbirth. A Perineal Tear can cause several short-term and long-term maternal health problems, including pain, infection, postpartum hemorrhage, and dyspareunia. One non-invasive intervention that has gained increasing attention in maternal health care is Perineal Massage, which aims to increase the elasticity and flexibility of the perineal tissues and prepare them for the stretching that occurs during childbirth. This study aims to examine the impact of prenatal perineal massage on the risk of perineal tears during vaginal delivery. This study used a quasi-experimental design involving pregnant women in their third trimester who planned to deliver vaginally. Participants were divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group performed prenatal perineal massage starting from 34–36 weeks of gestation with a frequency of three to four times per week, while the control group received routine prenatal care without the massage intervention. Data were collected through direct observation during childbirth and review of medical records to identify the incidence and severity of perineal tears. The results showed that the incidence of perineal tears was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group. Women who performed prenatal perineal massage experienced fewer and less severe tears, and a higher proportion maintained an intact perineum during delivery. Statistical analysis using the Chi-square test showed a significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that prenatal perineal massage is a simple and effective intervention to reduce perineal trauma and improve maternal health outcomes during vaginal childbirth.
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Altman, M. R., & Lydon‐Rochelle, M. T. (2006). Prolonged second stage of labor and risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review. Birth, 33(4), 315–322.
Chen, Q., Qiu, X., Fu, A., & Han, Y. (2022). Effect of Prenatal Perineal Massage on Postpartum Perineal Injury and Postpartum Complications: A Meta‐Analysis. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2022(1), 3315638.
Childs, C., Sandy-Hodgetts, K., Broad, C., Cooper, R., Manresa, M., & Verdú-Soriano, J. (2020). Birth-related wounds: risk, prevention and management of complications after vaginal and caesarean section birth. Journal of Wound Care, 29(Sup11a), S1–S48.
de Freitas, S. S., Cabral, A. L., de Melo Costa Pinto, R., Resende, A. P. M., & Pereira Baldon, V. S. (2019). Effects of perineal preparation techniques on tissue extensibility and muscle strength: a pilot study. International Urogynecology Journal, 30(6), 951–957.
Delaney, M., Roggensack, A., Leduc, D. C., Ballermann, C., Biringer, A., Dontigny, L., Gleason, T. P., Lee, L. S.-Y., Martel, M.-J., & Morin, V. (2008). Guidelines for the management of pregnancy at 41+ 0 to 42+ 0 weeks. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 30(9), 800–810.
Dieb, A. S., Shoab, A. Y., Nabil, H., Gabr, A., Abdallah, A. A., Shaban, M. M., & Attia, A. H. (2020). Perineal massage and training reduce perineal trauma in pregnant women older than 35 years: a randomized controlled trial. International Urogynecology Journal, 31(3), 613–619.
Field, T., Figueiredo, B., Hernandez-Reif, M., Diego, M., Deeds, O., & Ascencio, A. (2008). Massage therapy reduces pain in pregnant women, alleviates prenatal depression in both parents and improves their relationships. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 12(2), 146–150.
Health, W. H. O. R. (2003). Managing complications in pregnancy and childbirth: a guide for midwives and doctors. World Health Organization.
Jansson, M. H., Franzén, K., Hiyoshi, A., Tegerstedt, G., Dahlgren, H., & Nilsson, K. (2020). Risk factors for perineal and vaginal tears in primiparous women–the prospective POPRACT-cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 20(1), 749.
Li, Y., Wang, C., Lu, H., Cao, L., Zhu, X., Wang, A., & Sun, R. (2023). Effects of perineal massage during childbirth on maternal and neonatal outcomes in primiparous women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 138, 104390.
Macarthur, A. J., & Macarthur, C. (2004). Incidence, severity, and determinants of perineal pain after vaginal delivery: a prospective cohort study. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 191(4), 1199–1204.
Mei-Dan, E., Walfisch, A., Raz, I., Levy, A., & Hallak, M. (2008). Perineal massage during pregnancy: a prospective controlled trial. The Israel Medical Association Journal, 10(7), 499.
Miller, C. J., Smith, S. N., & Pugatch, M. (2020). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. Psychiatry Research, 283, 112452.
Monsen, K. A. (2024). Inferential Analysis and Interpretation. In Intervention Effectiveness Research: Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation in Healthcare: A Practical Guide to Real-World Implementation (pp. 89–103). Springer.
No, G. G. (2015). The management of third-and fourth-degree perineal tears. MIDIRS, 2, 9.
Obilor, E. I. (2023). Convenience and purposive sampling techniques: Are they the same. International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research, 11(1), 1–7.
Okeahialam, N. A., Sultan, A. H., & Thakar, R. (2024). The prevention of perineal trauma during vaginal birth. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 230(3), S991–S1004.
Say, L., & Raine, R. (2007). A systematic review of inequalities in the use of maternal health care in developing countries: examining the scale of the problem and the importance of context. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85(10), 812–819.
Yin, J., Chen, Y., Zhao, X., Cao, Z., Li, Y., Jiang, Z., Zhang, Y., Pan, Y., Shen, J., & Huang, M. (2025). Knowledge, attitude, and practice of Chinese midwives performing in perineal massage for pregnant women in the latter stages of pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 25(1), 376.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.