title: A pilot study exploring the impact of maternal age and raised body mass index on caesarean section rates.
abstract: A 2-phase study assessing the impact of obesity and increasing maternal age on caesarean section rates was performed. Phase 1 was retrospective and involved comparing caesarean section rates in spontaneously labouring nullipara and spontaneously labouring nullipara weighing 60-80 kg and aged 20-35 (standard nullipara), delivering between 1992 and 2006. In the 15 years studied there was a rise in the caesarean section rate from 6.5% to 19.0%, although the increase was less marked in the standard nullipara (4.8-15.5%). Phase 2 was prospective and involved collecting delivery data of singleton cephalic nullipara spontaneously labouring at term. The data of 126 women was collected of whom 99 were non-obese and 27 were obese. Statistical analysis compared the delivery outcomes between the two groups and showed that obese women were 5.82 times more likely to have a caesarean section compared with non-obese women. This finding was highly statistically significant (p = 0.005).
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK. joelnaftalin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Naftalin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paterson-Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D009765:Obesity; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications