Diluni Umesha Dharmasiri Athuraliyage, Kavishka Madushan De Silva Dewarahandhi, Vidanagei Pramuditha Madhavi Ahangama
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Colombo, Thalapathpitiya, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Apr 30;25(1):522. doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07645-6.
An episiotomy is making a controlled incision to the perineal region to enlarge the vaginal opening to facilitate difficult childbirths. According to evidence-based guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), it is not recommended that this procedure be performed routinely due to its detrimental effects on mothers' postpartum quality of life (QOL). Therefore, this study aims to examine the QOL of postpartum mothers who experienced episiotomy during normal vaginal (NVD) delivery in a Tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with postpartum mothers (n = 131) who had experienced an episiotomy during NVD in a Tertiary care hospital, in Sri Lanka. Data were collected from November 2023 to January 2024, using the Maternal Postpartum QOL Instrument (MPQOL-1), a previously validated questionnaire comprising five sub-scales. Participants were voluntarily recruited from postpartum mothers attending postnatal clinics in the above setting. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 26.
The study found that the majority of participants (71%) reported a high level of QOL related to episiotomy, while 28.2% had a moderate level. Factors such as parity, postpartum period, and number of episiotomies experienced significantly influenced QOL (p < 0.05). Women in the first postpartum week and those with fewer episiotomies reported higher QOL scores. Episiotomy complications are significantly associated with QOL, particularly regarding breastfeeding, newborn care, and bonding (p < 0.05).
Postpartum mothers generally report a high QOL following episiotomy, with parity, postpartum period, and the number of episiotomies influencing outcomes. Early postpartum women and those with fewer episiotomies experience better QOL. Episiotomy complications, however, negatively impact key aspects of maternal well-being, including breastfeeding, newborn care, and bonding, highlighting the importance of minimizing complications.
会阴切开术是在会阴区域进行可控切口，以扩大阴道口，便于难产时分娩。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的循证指南，由于该手术对母亲产后生活质量（QOL）有不利影响，不建议常规进行此手术。因此，本研究旨在调查在斯里兰卡一家三级护理医院经阴道自然分娩（NVD）时接受会阴切开术的产后母亲的生活质量。
对斯里兰卡一家三级护理医院中在经阴道自然分娩时接受会阴切开术的产后母亲（n = 131）进行了描述性横断面研究。2023年11月至2024年1月期间，使用产妇产后生活质量量表（MPQOL - 1）收集数据，该量表是一个先前已验证的问卷，包含五个子量表。参与者是从上述环境中参加产后诊所的产后母亲中自愿招募的。使用SPSS 26版软件对收集到的数据进行分析。
研究发现，大多数参与者（71%）报告与会阴切开术相关的生活质量较高，而28.2%的人生活质量中等。诸如产次、产后时期和经历的会阴切开术次数等因素对生活质量有显著影响（p < 0.05）。产后第一周的妇女和会阴切开术次数较少的妇女报告的生活质量得分较高。会阴切开术并发症与生活质量显著相关，尤其是在母乳喂养、新生儿护理和母婴联结方面（p < 0.05）。
产后母亲在会阴切开术后总体报告生活质量较高，产次、产后时期和会阴切开术次数会影响结果。产后早期妇女和会阴切开术次数较少的妇女生活质量更好。然而，会阴切开术并发症会对母亲幸福感的关键方面产生负面影响，包括母乳喂养、新生儿护理和母婴联结，这凸显了尽量减少并发症的重要性。
