Health Care for Women International, 33:697–718, 2012 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0739-9332 print / 1096-4665 online DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2012.655385 The Use of Perineal Massage in the Second Stage of Labor and Follow-Up of Postpartum Perineal Outcomes ZEK ˙ IYE KARAC ¸ AM Aydın School of Health, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey HAT ˙ ICE EKMEN Maternity and Children Clinic, Aydın State Hospital, Aydın, Turkey H ¨ USN ˙ IYE C ¸ ALIS ¸IR Aydın School of Health, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey Because perineal trauma causes both short- and long-term prob- lems after labor, the high rate of episiotomies and spontaneous lacerations is an important women’s health problem in Turkey. Our aim in this study was to investigate whether perineal massage during labor decreased perineal trauma and trauma-related prob- lems. The study included 396 pregnant women who were giving birth for the first time, between March 2007 and February 2009, in Turkey. It can be concluded that perineal massage decreases the amount of suture material required for episiotomy and thereby the size of the episiotomy and the rate of episiotomies and lacerations. Perineal trauma is any damage in the genital region resulting from an epi- siotomy and spontaneous lacerations occurring during labor (Johanson, 2000; McCandlish, 2001). Perineal trauma causes both short- and long-term prob- lems after labor. Short-term complaints include bleeding, need for sutur- ing, prolonged recovery time after delivery, delayed mother–infant bonding, Received 29 October 2010; accepted 4 January 2012. This study was supported by the Nursing Fund of the Vehbi Koc ¸ Foundation. We thank the personnel and administrators at the Ministry of Health of the Turkish Republic, and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Aydin State Hospital, who arranged an appropriate place for data collection. This study was presented orally at the First International Congress on Nursing Education, Research & Practice, 15–17 October 2009 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Address correspondence to Zekiye Karac ¸am, Aydın School of Health, Adnan Menderes ¨ Universitesi, Aydın 09100, Turkey. E-mail: zkaracam@adu.edu.tr or zekiyekaracam@ yahoo.com 697