Women’s Autonomy and Scheduled Cesarean Sections in Brazil: A Cautionary Tale

Abstract

The data suggest that doctors frequently persuaded their patients to accept a scheduled cesarean section for conditions that either did not exist or did not justify this procedure. The problem identified in this paper may extend well beyond Brazil and should be of concern to those with responsibility for ethical behavior in obstetrics.

Factors associated with high Cesarean deliveries in China and Brazil - A Call for reducing elective surgeries in moving towards Universal Health Coverage

“…Even though these rates are twice the level recommended by the WHO, they are significantly smaller than those observed in the private sector with rates of CDs ranging from 23% [36] to 67% [40] . Cesarean delivery rate almost doubles among women seeking care from private providers compared to women delivering in the public sector [39] .…”

“…In a recent major study conducted in four large cities, 72.3% of women attending the private sector and 79.6% in the public sector, had a preference for VD, but by the last trimester, many of these women changed their preference after repeated interaction with and persuasion by their providers [40] . Similarly, 70% of the women attending the private sector in the State of Rio de Janeiro had a preference for VD, but 90% of them ended having a CD after interaction with their health providers [48] .…”

A Decisão Pela via De Parto No Brasil: Temas E Tendências Na Produção Da Saúde Coletiva

“…Although one of the filtered studies was not an article, but an editorial, 34 it was included in the analysis, since it belongs to important authors in this field who have other publications on the subject being analyzed in the present review. 29,35 Brazilian doctors' perspective on the second opinion strategy before a C-section.…”

“…The 28 publications [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] having"decision", "choice", or "preference" for the route of delivery as central category were selected for analysis, as presented in Table 1, and used as written sources. Although one of the filtered studies was not an article, but an editorial, 34 it was included in the analysis, since it belongs to important authors in this field who have other publications on the subject being analyzed in the present review.…”

“…[17][18][19] Another set of studies, discuss more sociological and anthropological concerns, such as the "decision", "choice", "preference" or "opinion" of women and professionals regarding the route of delivery. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Most studies point to the preference of women for the vaginal delivery in the initial phases of pregnancy, which contrasts with the growing number of cesarean deliveries in Brazil. In contrast, studies with professionals reveal their belief in the female preference for cesarean delivery and in the safety of the surgery.…”