Goodbye episiotomy

in many delivery rooms, a routine becomes less routine

by laurie tarkan

the new york times 2/23/02

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the practice of delivering babies has long been influenced by traditions, based on the theories of popular obstetricians rather than on scientific proof.

recently, though, some routine practices have been put through the rigors of scientific testing and have been found ineffective at best and harmful at worst.

one such procedure is the episiotomy, an incision that widens the lady partsl opening to allow the baby's head to pass through.

for decades, a vast majority of women delivering babies were routinely given episiotomies, which involve painful recoveries and come with great risks of complications, including incontinence, later in life.

now, at some leading teaching hospitals, doctors have virtually abandoned the practice. at other hospitals, episiotomy is still used, but the number of procedures has declined drastically over 20 years.

among woman having lady partsl deliveries in hospitals, 64 percent had episiotomies in 1980 compared with 39 percent in 1998, a study published in the september issue of the journal birth found. the rates are higher among first-time mothers.

some hospitals fall well below the average, with rates of less than 10 percent. at the university of california at san francisco, for instance, the surgery is performed on 2 percent to 3 percent of women, said dr. bill parer, director of perinatal medicine and genetics there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/26/health/policy/26baby.html

...the mayo clinic, the rate is about 60 percent for first babies, whereas it was almost 100 percent 20 years ago.

get with the times, mayo!