Predictors of caesarean section - a cross-sectional study in Hungary.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyse the factors associated with caesarean section (CS) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Szeged, Hungary.

STUDY

DESIGN

Data collection was based on self-administered questionnaire and medical records related to the deliveries in the year of 2014. Maternal age, education level, marital status, pre-gestational body mass index (BMI), infertility treatment, previous CS, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pre-pregnancy hypertension and pregnancy-induced hypertension (HT/PIH) were examined. The participation rate was 67.3%, multiple pregnancies and questionnaires with missing data were excluded (n = 1493). Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed.

RESULTS

There were 1125 (45.4%) CSs out of 2479 deliveries. CS rate: 40.0%. Underweight 109 (7.1%), normal 921 (60.2%), overweight 320 (20.9%) obese 181 (11.8%).

HT/PIH: 7.6% (n = 117), GDM: 10.1% (n = 155). The odds of CS were significantly higher among obese mothers (OR: 1.81) compared with the normal weight group. Increasing maternal age (OR: 0.97) and being underweight (OR: 0.59) significantly decreased, previous CS (OR: 12.19), infertility treatment (OR: 1.91) and HT/PIH (OR: 1.87) significantly increased the probability of CS.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-gestational obesity, infertility treatment, previous CS and HT/PIH had significant effect on the mode of delivery.