The bio-psycho-sexual aspects of episiotomy during childbirth

Abstract

Background. The intensive development of obstetrics during the last several decades causes greater interest in the problem of childbirth, not only in a medical but also in psychological meaning. Objectives. The aim of this project is to find out the influence of the most popular operation performed during the second phase of childbirth – known as episiotomy – to the physical and sexual women’s wellbeing. Material and methods. The research was carried out on forty participants who were the patients of one of the obstetrics units in a hospital in Wrocław, Poland. The questionnaire consisted of twelve questions; moreover, the patients were divided as group after many (two or more) physiological childbirth with using episiotomy. The statistical analysis was made in Microsoft Excel. Results. The observations prove that episiotomy in many cases has a direct impact on the frame of mind of a woman not only after the childbirth, but also later in her life. Except from the physical illnesses, a woman may have also sexual problems which are equally important especially in the time of modern obstetrics. The bad state of mind has an indubitable influence on a women’s daily comfort of living. Conclusions. Episiotomy during the childbirth is an invasive operation which may cause negative psychophysical and sexual disorders.