Elective primary cesarean section: weighing the risks and benefits

Andrew Steele1, Fah Che Leong, Susan Barr

  • 1Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, USA. steelean@slucare1.sluh.edu

Missouri Medicine
|May 31, 2012
PubMed

The increasing understanding of the nature and extent of pelvic floor injury during childbirth, coupled with an increasing medico-legal demand to present a flawless baby at the completion of the birth process, has helped fuel the rising cesarean section rate. As more women become educated in the controversies surrounding the protective benefits of cesarean, they may increasingly elect to undergo cesarean delivery primarily. Evidence concerning maternal, fetal, and ethical considerations in this decision is presented.