Childbirth, tear or cut - How common is it?

Most women who have a vaginal birth have either a tear or a cut. A few women have both.

We don't know exactly how many women have a tear in the perineum during childbirth. Doctors and midwives don't always record small tears. Experts think that at least a third of women in the UK have a tear large enough to need stitches.[1] [2]

In one British study, more than 8 in 10 women had a tear or cut during a vaginal birth.[3] And about 7 in 10 needed stitches.

Bad tears, which go all the way from the vagina to the back passage (third-degree or fourth-degree tears), happen less often. The chance of a bad tear is about 1 in 200.[4]

Your chance of having a cut (episiotomy) depends on where you live. In England, about 12 percent of women have a cut. In some eastern European countries nearly all women have a cut during delivery.[1] [5] [6]

References

Graves EJ, Kozak LJ. National hospital discharge survey: annual summary, 1996. Vital Health Statistics. 1999; 13: i-iv, 1-46.
Audit Commission. First class delivery: improving maternity services in England and Wales. London: Audit Commission Publications, 1997.
McCandlish R, Bowler U, van Asten H, et al. A randomised controlled trial of care of the perineum during second stage of normal labour. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1998; 105: 1262-1272.
Sultan AH, Kamm MA, Hudson CN. Anal sphincter disruption during vaginal delivery. New England Journal of Medicine. 1993; 329: 1905-1911.
Wagner M. Pursuing the birth machine: the search for appropriate technology. In: Wagner M. Pursuing the birth machine: the search for appropriate technology. Ace Graphics, Camperdown, Australia; 1994.
Department of Health (UK). NHS maternity statistics, England 2003-04. Available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/statistics (accessed on 27 September 2006).

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.