Women's Experiences After a Third‐Degree Obstetric Anal Sphincter Tear: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

A third-degree tear causes a significant emotional and psychological impact on women's physical and emotional well-being. We recommend that all staff receive adequate training to deal with the issues that may be raised. The provision of a dedicated, multidisciplinary team involved at an early stage to coordinate the repair and follow-up is recommended to allow a sensitive, consistent, evidence-based approach, particularly in terms of decision-making for subsequent births. The experiences and needs of partners require further study.

A mixed methods study to explore women and clinician׳s response to pain associated with suturing second degree perineal tears and episiotomies [PRAISE]

“…The perceived negative experience in response to perineal trauma (Salmon, 1999;Sanders et al, 2002) may lead to fear (Lavender et al, 2006;Waldenstrom et al, 2006) and anxiety (Williams et al, 2005) when women plan subsequent pregnancies.…”

Feeling old in a young body: Women’s experiences of living with severe consequences of an obstetric anal sphincter rupture: An interview study

“…They found themselves having to struggle to be like others, having to cope with unknown situations, which arose in their emotional, physical and social lives This is similar to a qualitative study of women (n = 10) affected by grade 3 OASR leading to urine incontinence and dyspareunia. [23] The women described creating strategies to cope with social situations. Diet control, medication, coal filters in incontinence pads, timing of visits to the toilet, and the use of surroundings and mobile phones in order to conceal flatus and/or faces were strategies described in detail.…”

“…Anxiety about resumption of an active sex life after OASR and its deleterious effect on sexual function have been described in earlier studies. [23][24][25][26] Participants told of shame and guilt due to the reduction in sex life and its effects on their partner. Bearing in mind the anxiety and iso-lation which the women felt, it seems highly likely that partners also feel similar emotions, and therefore have the same needs for discussion, support, and information.…”

The effect of maternal position at birth on perineal trauma: A systematic review

“…These morbidities can lead to women experiencing complex psychological issues such as social isolation, anxiety, embarrassment and avoidance of intimate contact due to fear of pain (Priddis et al, 2013, Williams et al, 2005, O'Reilly et al, 2009. Also women may fear and anticipate pain during the suturing process (Priddis et al, 2013), an intervention which can blight an otherwise satisfying birth experience.…”