title: Do pregnant women prefer timing of elective cesarean section prior to versus after 39 weeks of gestation? Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate women's preferences for timing of elective cesarean section (ECS) scheduled prior to versus after 39 completed weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled open-label trial were conducted at seven Danish tertiary hospitals from March 2009 to June 2011 with inclusion of singleton pregnant women with a healthy fetus. The women were allocated by a computerized telephone system to ECS scheduled at 38(+3) weeks or 39(+3) weeks of gestation. Dissatisfaction with timing of ECS and preferred timing of the procedure in a proposed future ECS delivery were evaluated. Data analyses were done by intention-to-treat, using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1196 women (94%) completed an online questionnaire at follow-up eight weeks postpartum. In the 38 weeks group, 61 (10%) women 601 were dissatisfied with the timing of their ECS, whereas in the 39 weeks group 157 (26%) of 595 were dissatisfied (adjOR 3.18, 95% CI 2.30; 4.40). The proportion of women who preferred the same timing in a future ECS were 272 (45%) in the 38 weeks group compared to 232 (39%) in the 39(+3) weeks group (adjOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60; 0.95).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The women in this trial preferred ECS scheduled prior to 39 weeks of gestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glavind
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Kindberg
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uldbjerg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000523:psychology; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Gestational age; patient preferences; patient satisfaction; planned cesarean section; scheduling