Elective primary cesarean section: weighing the risks and benefits.
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.
Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, USA. steelean@slucare1.sluh.edu
Andrew
A
Steele
Fah Che
FC
Leong
Susan
S
Barr
Mary
M
McLennan
D002585:Cesarean Section; D017604:Cesarean Section, Repeat; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017773:Pelvic Floor; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D016064:Vaginal Birth after Cesarean