Objective: To determine the effect of antepartal methods on the prevention of birth injuries in primiparous women.
Design: Retrospective study.
Setting: Nemocnice Český Krumlov, a.s.
Methods: Between February 2014 and November 2015 were 315 primiparous women questioned after a vaginal delivery on the use of methods of birth injury prevention (vaginal dilatators EPI-NO and Aniball, perineal massage, natural methods - raspberry-leaf tea or linseed). Consecutively, the rates of intact perineum, perineal tears and episiotomies among respective methods were compared with the control group using no preventive method. The effects of the methods were tested on the occurrence of spontaneous or vaginal operative delivery.
Results: There was a significantly higher number of women with intact perineum after the use of vaginal dilatators (43.1% vs.14.1% in control group (p < 0.001). We also found a significant reduction of episiotomies in this group (29.3% vs. 57.7%, p < 0.001). There was no significant effect of perineal massage, raspberry-leaf tea or linseed on perineum injury prevention. A lower occurrence of vaginal operative delivery was also confirmed in the group of women using vaginal dilatators (p = 0.02).
Conclusion: Significant benefit of the use of the antepartal vaginal dilatators in the reduction of birth injuries was shown as well as of the occurrence of vaginal operative delivery.
Keywords: Aniball; EPI-NO; birth; episiotomy; linseed raspberry.; perineal massage; perineal tear; vaginal dilatator.