Is an episiotomy a particular degree tear?

A perineal tear happens spontaneously during birth and is graded according to the tissues involved. An episiotomy is a planned cut made in the perineum, usually in a direction chosen by the birth clinician, and then repaired with stitches. The cut itself is not labelled first, second, third, or fourth degree in the same way as a spontaneous tear. An episiotomy can sometimes extend, and the extension may receive a tear grade.

Ask your maternity clinician to show or explain which tissues were cut or torn and how the repair was closed. Follow the wound-care plan, keep the area clean and dry, use recommended pain relief, and avoid straining during bowel movements. Tell the team if you cannot pass urine, pain is escalating, or the wound feels different. Your discharge notes may record an episiotomy, an extension, or both.

Seek prompt medical advice for increasing pain, redness, swelling, pus, foul-smelling discharge, fever, heavy bleeding, or stitches that separate. Urgent help is needed for faintness, severe weakness, severe pain, or new difficulty controlling stool or gas. The recorded depth of the repair helps plan follow-up, but symptoms still guide how quickly you should be examined.

Ask whether you had an episiotomy alone or an extension, which muscles or tissues were involved, what follow-up is planned, and which changes should prompt urgent contact.