Factors Influencing Cesarean Delivery in Women Referring to the Women's Pregnancy Clinic in Bam, Iran

Cesarean section is a surgery to deliver a baby and remove the placenta and membranes through an incision made on the mother's abdomen and uterus. While the rate of cesarean section is 10-30% of all deliveries in the world, it is 50-65% in Iran. The aim of this study was to identify factors leading to cesarean section in Bam, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 200 mothers who visited the Women’s Pregnancy Clinic in Bam were enrolled from October 2010 to October 2011. Data was collected by interviewing the women and reviewing their health records. The collected data was analyzed using t-test, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis in SPSS15. Overall, 59% of the deliveries were performed through cesarean sections. There were significant relations between cesarean section and a history of cesarean section, mother’s gestational diabetes, parents’ education level, nonreactive nonstress test, cephalopelvic disproportion, high maternal body mass index, and fear of vaginal delivery. Although cesarean section can save mothers and neonates in emergency situations, non-medical factors such as higher education of parents and mother's fear of vaginal delivery are also responsible for high rates of this surgery. However, more research in this field is warranted.