Understanding caesarean section indications in Poland: trends and analysis

The rate of caesarean sections has increased noticeably worldwide in recent years. Many efforts are being made to understand this phenomenon, one of which is to analyse the changing indications for caesarean deliveries over the years. To analyse and compare the indications for caesarean section over 3 years (2020-2022) and to identify the trends for the increasing caesarean section rate.

All women who delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University Clinical Hospital in Szczecin were included in the analysis between January 2020 and December 2022. We analysed outcomes of 6870 deliveries both vaginal and via caesarean section. The indications for caesarean section were analysed and the results were compared to the results of the study conducted at the same centre between 2014 and 2018.

There were 3661 CS (53.29%) and 3309 vaginal deliveries (46.71%). 50.61% first time mothers (primipara) delivered with caesarean section. The most common obstetric indication for caesarean section was previous lower segment caesarean section 671 (19.65%) and the most common non-obstetric indication was psychological disorder 524 (50.68%).

Based on the results of this study, we observed a persistently high rate of caesarean sections. Caesarean section is still a significant obstetric problem, especially among first-born women. There is a need to look for ways to reduce the caesarean section rate to the recommended 15-20%.