[What should we tell our patient who requires cesarean section?]

Cesarean section on maternal request is defined as a primary prelabor cesarean delivery on maternal request with no maternal or fetal indications. There are many controversies surrounding this issue encompassing medical, legal and ethical aspects. Therefore, doctors are still confused about what they should tell their patient. Is planned elective cesarean delivery safer than planned vaginal delivery? Should they perform surgery in the absence of a medical indication? There is no clear answer to these questions since the avaiLable data in the literature is inconclusive. However, in cases in which cesarean delivery on maternal request is planned it should not be performed before the gestational age of 39 weeks due to higher respiratory morbidity and other complications reported to be associated with late prematurity. In addition, cesarean delivery on maternal request should not be recommended for women desiring several children since the risk for placenta accreta and hysterectomy increase with each cesarean section.