Many women in Finland feel their complaints are frequently overlooked, raising concerns about women’s health issues and treatment options. This sentiment is echoed in a recent report by Yle’s Swedish-language unit, which highlights a troubling trend: more Finnish women are crossing into Sweden seeking treatment for injuries they sustained during childbirth.
In a series of interviews conducted by Svenska Yle, nearly 30 women shared their experiences related to injuries incurred during vaginal deliveries. The findings reveal a significant difference in how these injuries are treated across the border. In Sweden, pelvic floor surgery is a common and often standard response to birth injuries. Conversely, Finnish gynecologists exhibit a more conservative stance, expressing concerns that surgeries are performed too readily in Sweden.
At the heart of the issue lies a troubling parallel: many women in Finland contend that their symptoms are not regarded with the seriousness they deserve.
### “Sweden is a Pioneer”
Dr. Päivi Karjalainen, a gynecologist at Hospital Nova in Jyväskylä, underscores Sweden’s status as a leader in treating childbirth injuries, especially when compared to practices in Finland and beyond. As she treats women recovering from childbirth injuries, she observes that perineal repair surgeries in Sweden are more advanced and widely accepted.
Dr. Karjalainen points out that perineal injuries have not received the attention they warrant in Finland, partly due to longstanding misconceptions about their significance. She argues that Finland’s cautious approach to surgical intervention reflects an outdated belief that such procedures may cause more harm than good.
On the other side of the debate, Dr. Tomi Mikkola, chief physician and head of gynecological surgery at Helsinki University Hospital, has a different perspective. He suggests that the Swedish narrative surrounding surgical procedures can be misleading. According to him, the notion that surgeons simply identify and repair individual muscles oversimplifies a complex process. In reality, surgical interventions involve reattaching larger structures, which inadvertently restores the associated muscles.
Dr. Mikkola contends that there is little substantive difference between Swedish and Finnish approaches to managing childbirth injuries, thus complicating the ongoing dialogue on how best to treat these often-neglected issues.
As the conversation continues, it’s clear that addressing the experiences of women and their treatment is paramount, and more attention needs to be paid to the unique challenges they face during and after childbirth.
