[Delivery or cesarean section and women's emotional condition]

Interest to know and study women's point of view over delivery type and its late effect in emotional state has increased recently.

To determine if there is any relation between the type of delivery and emotional state in woman after the delivery or cesarean section. In addition, to know whether this resolution modifies in any way her emotional state during the puerperium.

201 pregnant, primiparous women, all patients of the Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia; they were administered the GHQ-30 in order to determine their emotional state, and a survey designed to find out their point of view regarding vaginal delivery and cesarean section. Two administrations were carried out: one at 25 to 30 weeks of pregnancy and the second during puerperium. This was an exploratory, descriptive, comparative, test-retest, longitudinal study.

Regarding the GHQ-30, at first administration we found 37.8% of cases and 62.2% of non-cases. At the second, we found 15.4% of cases and 84.6% of non-cases. We found a statistically significant relation regarding emotional state severity. In the survey, we found statistically significant relationship between physician's explanation delivery types, and woman's knowledge as to the same.

There was no relationship between emotional state and delivery type for women's sample. Physician's explanation of the type of delivery (vaginal delivery, cesarean section, instrumental delivery), avoids alterations in woman's emotional state.