Abstract
The aim of this study was to establish whether Lithuanian women would request an elective cesarean section in a low-risk pregnancy and to compare how the women's opinion changed during the 5-year period. A study was conducted at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences from November 1 to December 31, 2006, and from January 1 to February 28, 2011. A total of 204 and 239 women were enrolled in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires collected information on women's knowledge about the advantages of the different modes of delivery and their preferred type of birth in a low-risk pregnancy. Overall, 82.4% of the participants in 2006 and 74.5% in 2011 thought that women should be able to choose the mode of delivery in a low-risk pregnancy. If they had had such an opportunity, 15.2% of women in 2006 and 14.9% in 2011 would have chosen cesarean section without any medical indication. The most frequently mentioned advantage of vaginal delivery was that it is natural, while safety for the newborn and the possibility of avoiding delivery pain were the mentioned advantages of cesarean section. Approximately 15% of Lithuanian women would request an elective cesarean section, and this percentage did not change during the 5-year period. While the national cesarean section rate is increasing with every year, it seems that "maternal request" cannot be blamed for this phenomenon. Despite all the available information about the different modes of delivery, women still lack professional and reliable knowledge about it.
Highlights
15% of Lithuanian women would request an elective cesarean section, and this percentage did not change during the 5-year period
While the national cesarean section rate is increasing with every year, it seems that “maternal request” cannot be blamed for this phenomenon
The cesarean section (CS) rate is increasing with every year all around the world [1]
Summary
The cesarean section (CS) rate is increasing with every year all around the world [1]. In Brazil, this number is even higher: the overall CS rate was 43.6% in 2006, but in the private sector, it reached more than 80% [3]. The reasons for this may be various. The data show that such operations without medical indications account for 4% to 18% of all cesarean sections [6] This reason has been reported to be one of the key factors increasing the cesarean section rate [1, 4, 6,7,8]. According to the National Birth Register, the CS rate in Lithuania almost doubled from 2000 to
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
