Pregnant women's preferences and knowledge of term breech management, in an Australian setting

To assess women's familiarity with breech presentation and external cephalic version (ECV), and to identify women's preferences and attitudes regarding breech management.

Cross-sectional survey.

King George V (KGV) Memorial Hospital for Mothers and Babies, Sydney, Australia, a major metropolitan teaching hospital.

174 pregnant women (20-38 weeks gestation) attending KGV for antenatal care in 2001.

Data were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed through the antenatal clinics.

Women's familiarity of breech presentation and ECV, women's attitude towards ECV, decision to attempt ECV, and with whom participants would like to make a decision regarding ECV.

Of the 174 respondents, 85% could correctly identify breech presentation, and 66% had heard of ECV. For 87% this information was from books, and family/friends, and not their midwife/doctor. Equal numbers of women responded that they would or would not choose ECV (39%), and the remaining 22% were uncertain. Factors influencing their decision included concerns about the safety for the baby, ECV not guaranteeing vaginal birth despite successful version, and ECV not being effective enough. Seventy-two per cent wanted to make the decision to attempt ECV together with their doctor.

Although the majority of the women had a preference for vaginal birth, their knowledge of ECV appeared insufficient to enable them to make informed decisions about attempting ECV. These findings suggest that care-providers should offer women information on ECV, in a shared-decision-making environment.