Effectiveness of pain relief during perineal suturing

The amount of pain women experience during perineal suturing is previously unreported, although anecdotal evidence suggests that the procedure can be associated with considerable pain. Of 68 women who participated in this descriptive study, 16.5% reported ‘distressing’, ‘horrible’ or ‘excruciating’ pain while receiving perineal sutures. Contrary to expectations, pain scores did not diminish as the time between suturing and pain reporting increased. Regional analgesia was associated with lower reported pain. The findings of this small study suggest that further detailed investigation of this aspect of care is urgently required.