Efficacy of perineal massage during the second stage of labor for the prevention of perineal injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous interventions to reduce perineal trauma during childbirth have been studied in recent years, including perineal massage.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of perineal massage during the second stage of labor to prevent perineal damage.

SEARCH STRATEGY: Systematic search in PubMed, Pedro, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, BioMed, SpringerLink, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, and MEDLINE with the terms Massage, Second labor stage, Obstetric delivery, and Parturition.

SELECTION CRITERIA: The articles must have been published in the last 10 years; the perineal massage was administered to the study sample; and the experimental design consisted of randomized controlled trial.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Tables were used to describe both the studies' characteristics and the extracted data. The PEDro and Jadad scales were used to assess the quality of studies.

MAIN RESULTS: Of the 1172 total results identified, nine were selected. Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis and indicated a statistically significant decreased number of episiotomies in perineal massage.

CONCLUSIONS: Massage during the second stage of labor appears to be effective in preventing episiotomies and reducing the duration of the second stage of labor. However, it does not appear to be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of perineal tears.