High cesarean section rates for pregnant medical practitioners in South Africa

Reproductive risk factors, pregnancy characteristics and obstetric outcome in female doctors

“…In the UK, Geary et al 1 observed that female medical doctors when pregnant often choose to deliver by elective caesarean section. Similarly, Lawrie et al 2 reported high caesarean section rates among pregnant medical practitioners in South Africa. The liberal use of caesarean section appears to reflect obstetricians' concern regarding evidence linking vaginal delivery with perineal damage and its long term sequelae such as stress incontinence and anal sphincter damage 3 -5 , whereas fear of damage to the infant plays a less significant role in lowering the threshold for caesarean section 6 .…”

Reproductive risk factors, pregnancy characteristics and obstetric outcome in female doctors

“…In the UK, Geary et al 1 observed that female medical doctors when pregnant often choose to deliver by elective caesarean section. Similarly, Lawrie et al 2 reported high caesarean section rates among pregnant medical practitioners in South Africa. The liberal use of caesarean section appears to reflect obstetricians’ concern regarding evidence linking vaginal delivery with perineal damage and its long term sequelae such as stress incontinence and anal sphincter damage 3–5 , whereas fear of damage to the infant plays a less significant role in lowering the threshold for caesarean section 6 .…”

The attitudes of two groups of South African women towards mode of delivery

“…There has been considerable debate regarding the respective risks and benefits of vaginal and cesarean delivery, and whether women's preferences influence physicians' decisions about the mode of delivery. Studies from different parts of the world and among professional and nonprofessional women have shown differing preferences [1–3], and it is unlikely that preferences can be extrapolated from one group to another.…”

“…In South Africa, Lawrie and colleagues [1] studied pregnant physicians, one third of whom was planning an elective cesarean section. On the other hand, of the 3061 Swedish women Hildingson and colleagues [2] surveyed, only 8% said they would prefer to have a cesarean section.…”

“…Apart from the small study of medical professionals already mentioned [1], there is little information regarding the preferences of South African women and the possible cultural influences that foster these preferences. The aim of this study was to determine the preferences of women from 2 ethnic groups in Cape Town, South Africa.…”