I haven't tried it, but i'm sure i read the post of a woman on here (not sure who it was, perhaps they'll see the thread though) tore from USING the epi-no - before birth! So that definitely put me off the idea. I did perineal massage once ever (too hard to reach) and i had a tiny tear which didn't need stitches. I know someone who did their massage daily for the last 6 weeks and she had a 3rd degree tear. I'm not sure anything can make as much difference as help in the 2nd stage to push slowly or not at all during crowning and being properly relaxed. I practiced relatxation a lot, and i did feel that helped me at the time.

Bx