A Nigerian obstetrician and gynaecologist, Umar Mohammed, has schooled a woman who claimed that she had a perineal tear during delivery because she didn’t have sex while pregnant.
Reacting to the woman’s comment under a Facebook post on Saturday, February 24, Dr. Mohammed said frequent sex is encouraged during pregnancy but lack of it does not cause perineal tear.
“Sex during pregnancy is good, and is encouraged, except where there is contraindication that restricts it for some weeks or throughout. However, to say that not having sex is a cause of perineal tear is totally wrong,” he wrote.
A 4th degree perineal tear is a tear that extends to the ANAL MUCOSA.
It can result from poorly given episiotomy or badly managed delivery especially when episiotomy is indicated and the person conducting the delivery fails to recognize the need.
Usually, if an experienced obstetrician is present, it can be repaired in the theatre, and the outcome will be good if the post operative period is properly managed.
It becomes an issue if the person repairing it does not recognize the extent of the tear, or he doesn’t know the principles involved in the repair.
Such cases will result in failed repair, leading to episiotomy breakdown and incontinence of faeces and flatus.
In the end it will require a colostomy to divert the faeces, subsequent repair if inflammation has subsided and then reconnection of the intestine after healing has occurred. I hope this helps.
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