HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
What is a perineal tear and how do I prevent it?
Your perineum is the area between your vagina and anus (back passage or bottom). Many women tear their perineum during childbirth.
- First-degree tears are small tears of just the skin and don't usually need stitches.
- Second-degree tears are deeper and affect the muscle as well as the skin and need stitches to be repaired.
- Third-degree tears involve tearing of the vaginal wall and the anal sphincter (the muscle that controls the back passage).
- Fourth-degree tears extend to the lining of the back passage, or anus.
How to prevent a perineal tear
This information explains how to massage your perineum in the weeks leading up to your delivery to reduce the risk of it tearing.
Why does it happen to some women?
Often there's no clear reason for tearing. There's an increased risk for women who:
- have their first vaginal birth
- have a long pushing phase of their labour (over two hours)
- need a forceps or ventouse (suction) birth
- have a large baby
- have the baby's shoulder stuck behind their pubic bone (shoulder dystocia)
- had labour induced.
On the next page: Healing after a perineal tear
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Endorsed by midwife liaison, Canterbury DHB. Last reviewed June 2018.
Review key: HIGIB-113323
