Certified Midwife Exam Prep

Answer: B - The only truth in this list is that episiotomy is a surgical incision used to enlarge the perineal opening. This can be important if the baby needs to be born quickly due to medical emergency. Episiotomy is also used to make room for assisted delivery with vacuum or forceps. No research has proven that natural tearing takes longer to heal. In fact, episiotomy typically causes a larger laceration than allowing a woman's tissue to tear naturally. No evidence links episiotomy with decreased urinary incontinence, even though this is often cited as "fact." Mothers who have had an episiotomy tend to experience some level of sexual dysfunction, including lasting pain at the site of the repair.