4.3 Interpretation
The effect of maternal age on the rate of episiotomy is thought to be attributed to perineal rigidity. Younger patients tend to have a more rigid perineum, which increases the incidence of episiotomy.
The effect of gravidity and parity is thought to be attributed to multiple factors, including; perineal rigidity as a patient’s perineum is less likely to be rigid with each pregnancy and delivery, the duration of labor which decreases in patients with more pregnancies and deliveries, and the patient’s experience and level of cooperation with the healthcare team.
Cervical diameter is an indication of how advanced the delivery is, and affects the duration a patient spends in the delivery ward[19]. The earlier a patient presents, the more likely they would receive an episiotomy to decrease the duration of labor.
Instrumental deliveries and the vaginal delivery of fetuses with an atypical presentation are rarely practiced in Kasr Alainy OBGYN Hospital, these patients are mostly scheduled for C-sections. But all patients who did deliver vaginally with an atypical presentation had an episiotomy.
Gestational weight and age were not found to have a statistically significant effect on the incidence of episiotomy. However, it is thought that a bigger fetal head distends the perineum further, thereby increasing the incidence of episiotomy. While episiotomy is likely practiced in preterm deliveries to slow the progression of a precipitous labor.
Little is known about the effects of episiotomy in Kasr Alainy patients as there is no follow-up program to check-up on patients in the post-partum period when it comes to episiotomy and perineal tissue health.