#episiotomies

[gsmcpodcastnetwork]

GSMC Health & Wellness Podcast Episode 303: Perineal Health and Wellness

[whatshappeningtothekids]

Episiotomies Don't Help Moms Or Babies In Most Cases, But Remain Common

Episiotomy, a once-routine surgical incision made in a woman's vaginal opening during childbirth to speed the baby's passage, has been officially discouraged for at least a decade by the leading association of obstetrician-gynecologists in the United States.

Nonetheless, despite evidence that the procedure is only rarely necessary, and in some cases leads to serious pain and injuries to the mother, it is still being performed at much higher than recommended rates by certain doctors and in certain hospitals.

In one recent case, Kimberly Turbin, a 29-year-old dental assistant who lives in Stockton, Calif., is suing her former obstetrician for assault and battery after he performed an episiotomy on her in 2013. A video of the birth, with Turbin begging the doctor not to cut her, has been viewed more than 420,000 times.

Dr. Emiliano Chavira, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist at Dignity Health's California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, says he suspects three main reasons why some providers continue to perform routine episiotomies: They've always done them; they lack awareness of best practices; or they want to speed up deliveries.

"Certain segments of the obstetric community are very slow to modernize the practice," Chavira says. "They're very slow to abandon procedures that are not a benefit and, in fact, may be harmful. And it's really disappointing."

Women go through a lot in the delivery of a healthy baby. But in most cases, doctors say, an episiotomy needn't be part of the experience.Marc Romanelli/Blend Images/Getty Images            

[l-p]