Nulliparous patients with small stature delivering at term have an increased risk of secondary cesarean section

Abstract

To evaluate the obstetric outcome of pregnant patients with small stature (<5th percentile) with regard to the mode of delivery, maternal injuries, and neonatal parameters. Retrospective cohort analysis of 13 years of deliveries. Two groups: group A, patients with a height below the 5th percentile, and group B, patients with a body height between the 25th and 75th percentile. Patients with a body height between the 25th and 75th percentiles showed significantly more spontaneous vaginal deliveries. Secondary cesarean sections (CS) were significantly seen more often in mothers with a small body height. The fetal outcome did not differ significantly between both groups (APGAR, arterial cord pH, base excess). Patients with body height below the 5th percentile were found to have a significantly higher rate of secondary CS. As less than half of our patients with a body height below the 5th percentile were found to have delivered spontaneously at term, pregnancies in small patients should be recognized by obstetricians to be at a specific risk. Whereas the neonatal outcome appears to be comparable between nulliparous women with a body height below the 5th percentile and those with a body height between the 25th and 75th percentiles, small mothers carry a significantly elevated risk of surgical delivery, which should be addressed in prospective studies and in counseling these patients.