Perineal lacerations affect between 35 and 85% of women during childbirth and may be responsible for postpartum pain. Honey has been demonstrated to have interesting properties that can promote wound healing. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of honey to the perineum to reduce perineal pain during the early postpartum period. A randomized controlled trial including 68 women was conducted. In the intervention group, honey was applied to perineal lacerations for four days, in addition to standard care. The control group received only standard care. The primary outcome was pain intensity using the Visual Analog Scale and pain perception using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (QDSA). The secondary outcomes were a burning sensation, the use of a pain killer, and the women’s satisfaction with the honey application. The intensity of pain was not significantly different between the groups on Day 1 (VAS 3.38 in the control group versus 3.34 in the intervention group, p = 0.65) or on Day 4 (VAS 2.28 versus 1.41, respectively, p = 0.09). There was no significant difference regarding the perception of pain with the QDSA. Despite this, most of the women in the intervention group (93%) were satisfied or very satisfied with the use of honey on their perineum.

ObjectivesTo explore allophone immigrant women’s knowledge and perceptions of epidural analgesia for labour pain, in order to identify their information needs prior to the procedure.DesignWe conducted focus groups interviews with allophone women from five different linguistic immigrant communities, with the aid of professional interpreters. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts was carried out by all authors.SettingWomen were recruited at two non-profit associations offering French language and cultural integration training to non-French speaking immigrant women in Geneva.ParticipantsForty women from 10 countries who spoke either Albanian, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Tamil or Tigrigna took part in the five focus groups. Four participants were nulliparous, but all others had previous experience of labour and delivery, often in European countries. A single focus group was conducted for each of the five language groups.ResultsWe identified five main themes: (1) Women’s partial knowledge of epidural analgesia procedures; (2) Strong fears of short-term and long-term negative consequences of epidural analgesia during childbirth; (3) Reliance on multiple sources of information regarding epidural analgesia for childbirth; (4) Presentation of salient narratives of labour pain to justify their attitudes toward epidural analgesia; and (5) Complex community positioning of pro-epidural women.ConclusionsWomen in our study had partial knowledge of epidural analgesia for labour pain and held perceptions of a high risk-to-benefits ratio for this procedure. Diverse and sometimes conflicting information about epidural analgesia can interfere with women’s decisions regarding this treatment option for labour pain. Our study suggests that women need comprehensive but also tailored information in their own language to support their decision-making regarding epidural labour analgesia.