In recent years, perineal massage has been widely promoted as a prophylactic technique to prevent complications during labor, with the main focus being the prevention of perineal lacerations during childbirth. The objective of perineal massage before childbirth is to increase the flexibility of the tissues in that area and reduce muscular resistance, allowing the perineum to stretch during labor.

Prenatal perineal massage allows the tissue to expand more easily during childbirth and, therefore, may decrease the incidence of perineal trauma. It can be performed once or twice a week by the woman or her partner, starting from 35 weeks of pregnancy.

In a systematic review on the topic, six clinical trials involving 1997 patients evaluated the effect of perineal massage. Two studies found a significant reduction in postpartum perineal pain in the perineal massage group. Another study showed a significant reduction in the duration of the second stage of labor associated with perineal massage. In subsequent studies, including a 2020 study with a sample size of 400 women, significant differences were found in terms of reducing rates of perineal lacerations, episiotomies, and postpartum pain in the group that received perineal massage. Perineal tears had an incidence rate of 13.5% and episiotomy rate of 29.5% compared to the control group, which had a 21.5% incidence of perineal tears and a 38.5% incidence of episiotomies.

Therefore, scientific literature has confirmed that the application of perineal massage reduces postpartum pain, shortens labor duration, and decreases the rate of perineal tears and episiotomies.

Inés Carmona Barrientos

References:

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