How common are 3rd and 4th degree tears?

How common are 3rd and 4th degree tears?

Third- or fourth-degree tears, also known as an obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI), can occur in 6 out of 100 births (6%) for first time mothers and less than 2 in 100 births (2%) of births for women who have had a vaginal birth before.

How likely is a 4th degree tear?

Experts estimate that around 6 percent (so, 6 out of 100) of people giving birth for the first time may experience a fourth-degree tear. For those who have previously given birth vaginally, that number is around 3 percent (3 out of 100).

How bad is a third degree tear?

6–8 in 10 women with a third- or fourth-degree tear will have no long-lasting complications after it has been repaired and given time to heal. A small number of women will experience difficulty in controlling their bowels or holding in wind. This is called anal incontinence.

Is 4th degree tear the worst?

The most severe type, a fourth-degree tear passes through the anal sphincter and into the mucous membrane that lines the rectum, known as the rectal mucosa.

Can I give birth naturally after a 3rd degree tear?

Most women will have a normal vaginal birth after a 3rd or 4th degree tear. Having a planned episiotomy (a cut made in the perineum) in future births does not seem to reduce the chances of another tear.

What is a level 4 tear when giving birth?

Fourth-degree vaginal tears are the most severe. They extend through the anal sphincter and into the mucous membrane that lines the rectum (rectal mucosa). Fourth-degree tears usually require repair with anesthesia in an operating room — rather than the delivery room — and sometimes require more specialized repair.

Can you have a normal birth after a 3rd degree tear?

Most women go on to have a straightforward birth after a third- or fourth-degree tear. However, there is an increased risk of this happening again in a future pregnancy. Between 5 and 7 in 100 women who have had a third- or fourth-degree tear will have a similar tear in a future pregnancy.

Is a 3rd degree tear worse than an episiotomy?

Episiotomy vs. What’s more, episiotomies are more likely than spontaneous tears to result in third- or fourth-degree perineal tears, where the tear passes through to the rectum — taking longer to heal and sometimes causing fecal incontinence.

Does your VAG rip when giving birth?

Vaginal tears during childbirth, also called perineal lacerations or tears, occur when the baby’s head is coming through the vaginal opening and is either too large for the vagina to stretch around or the head is a normal size but the vagina doesn’t stretch easily. These kinds of tears are relatively common.

Where are third and fourth degree perineal tears most common?

Rates of third- and fourth-degree perineal tear tended to be higher in major cities and remote areas than in inner and outer regional areas. There was a trend towards a decreasing rate of perineal tears with socioeconomic disadvantage in major cities.

How often does a woman have a third degree tear?

The rate was 11.8 times as high in the area with the highest rate compared to the area with the lowest rate. The number of women who had a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear varied across states and territories, from 22 per 1,000 vaginal births in Western Australia to 45 in the Australian Capital Territory (Figures 3.32–3.35).

What’s the difference between a third and a fourth degree tear?

A third-degree tear is an injury to the perineum involving the anal sphincter (muscle controlling the anus), and a fourth-degree tear involves the anal sphincter and the anal mucosa (the lining of the anus or rectum).1,2

What was the rate of perineal tear in Australia?

Over the three-year period 2012–2014, 18,463 women of all ages who gave birth vaginally had a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, representing an average rate of 27 per 1,000 vaginal births (the Australian rate).