Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
-
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand · Apr 2017
A prospective study of maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in the setting of cesarean section in low- and middle-income countries.
Cesarean section (CS) rates are increasing globally with an unclear effect on pregnancy outcomes. The study objective was to quantify maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with CS compared with vaginal delivery (VD) both within and across sites in low- and middle-income countries. ⋯ CS rates increased across all sites during the study period, but at more pronounced rates in the non-African sites. CS was associated with reduced postpartum hemorrhage and lower rates of stillbirths in the non-African sites. In the African sites, CS was associated with an increase in all adverse outcomes. Further studies are necessary to better understand the increase in adverse outcomes with CS in the African sites.