Introduction

Women in the labor process are exposed to perineal traumas that may be associated with the care.

Objective

The work sought to verify the association among the presence of perineorrhaphy and perineal problems, habitual activities and physiological needs affected in puerperae women during vaginal postpartum. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study, comprising 870 puerperal women with some type of perineal trauma during vaginal delivery. The data were collected through a structured interview and physical examination of the vulvoperineal region and submitted to descriptive and inferential analyses.

Results

A statistically significant association was found between episiorrhaphy and the occurrence of edema (p <0.001), burning (p = 0.002), and pain (p = 0.002). Concerning the habitual activities and physiological needs, women with episiorrhaphy had greater difficulty getting dressed, ambulating, sitting, and sleeping. On the other hand, they had less difficulty urinating and performing intimate hygiene.

Discussion

Among the perineal problems, a statistically significant difference was noted in the occurrence of edema, burning, and pain between the groups, given that women with episiorrhaphy reported less perineal burning compared to the group with perineorrhaphy due to spontaneous laceration. In this sense, preserving the perineal integrity of parturients is necessary and possible in obstetric care because this type of intervention, sometimes unnecessary, will trigger discomfort that will interfere with their well-being during the puerperal period.

Conclusions

The data from this study permitted verifying association between the perineorrhaphy and the occurrence of perineal problems and alterations to carry out habitual activities during immediate puerperium.

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