Maternal Request Is not to Blame for an Increase in the Rate of Cesarean Section

Background and Objective. The aim of this study was to establish whether Lithuanian women would request an elective cesarean section in a low-risk pregnancy and to compare how the women’s opinion changed during the 5-year period.
Material and Methods. A study was conducted at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences from November 1 to December 31, 2006, and from January 1 to February 28, 2011. A total of 204 and 239 women were enrolled in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires collected information on women’s knowledge about the advantages of the different modes of delivery and their preferred type of birth in a low-risk pregnancy.
Results. Overall, 82.4% of the participants in 2006 and 74.5% in 2011 thought that women should be able to choose the mode of delivery in a low-risk pregnancy. If they had had such an opportunity, 15.2% of women in 2006 and 14.9% in 2011 would have chosen cesarean section without any medical indication. The most frequently mentioned advantage of vaginal delivery was that it is natural, while safety for the newborn and the possibility of avoiding delivery pain were the mentioned advantages of cesarean section.
Conclusions. Approximately 15% of Lithuanian women would request an elective cesarean section, and this percentage did not change during the 5-year period. While the national cesarean section rate is increasing with every year, it seems that “maternal request” cannot be blamed for this phenomenon. Despite all the available information about the different modes of delivery, women still lack professional and reliable knowledge about it.