Obstetricians say yes to maternal request for elective caesarean section: a survey of current opinion

Abstract

Aim: To determine what proportion of obstetricians would agree to elective pre-labour CS for ‘maternal request’. Methods: Every fifth consultant on an alphabetical list of obstetricians in England and Wales obtained from the RCOG (243) was surveyed by post and asked (a) “Would you agree to perform an elective CS on a woman with an uncomplicated singleton cephalic pregnancy at term for ‘maternal request?”’ and (b) if yes, in relation to this ‘Has your practice changed over recent years?” Results: 155 questionnaires were returned (63% response rate — four unanswered, leaving 151 for analysis). One hundred and four (69%) consultants said they would agree to ‘maternal request’ for CS. Of the ‘yes’ respondents, 62 (60%) claimed their practice had changed recently. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates that a majority of obstetricians are now prepared to agree to maternal request for CS in the absence of obstetric indications.