title: Cesarean section and subsequent fertility: results from the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth.
abstract: The purpose of this article was to examine the question of fertility after a cesarean section. The study design is that of a retrospective cohort study with matched pairs, using the cross-sectional interview data of the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth. The subsequent fertility of 406 women who had had their first delivery by cesarean section is compared with that of 406 matched control women. Using any of several measures, women who had had a cesarean section had lower fertility. The difference in fertility seemed to result largely from difficulties in having children after a cesarean section, rather than lessened desire for children. Sterilizations were more frequent and performed earlier among women who had had a cesarean section than among the control women.
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001721:Birth Intervals; D001723:Birth Rate; D044383:Black People; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013245:Sterilization, Reproductive; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American