Do pregnant women prefer timing of elective cesarean section prior to versus after 39 weeks of gestation? Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate women's preferences for timing of elective cesarean section (ECS) scheduled prior to versus after 39 completed weeks.

Methods: Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled open-label trial were conducted at seven Danish tertiary hospitals from March 2009 to June 2011 with inclusion of singleton pregnant women with a healthy fetus. The women were allocated by a computerized telephone system to ECS scheduled at 38⁺³ weeks or 39⁺³ weeks of gestation. Dissatisfaction with timing of ECS and preferred timing of the procedure in a proposed future ECS delivery were evaluated. Data analyses were done by intention-to-treat, using logistic regression.

Results: A total of 1196 women (94%) completed an online questionnaire at follow-up eight weeks postpartum. In the 38 weeks group, 61 (10%) women 601 were dissatisfied with the timing of their ECS, whereas in the 39 weeks group 157 (26%) of 595 were dissatisfied (_adjOR 3.18, 95% CI 2.30; 4.40). The proportion of women who preferred the same timing in a future ECS were 272 (45%) in the 38 weeks group compared to 232 (39%) in the 39⁺³ weeks group (_adjOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60; 0.95).

Conclusions: The women in this trial preferred ECS scheduled prior to 39 weeks of gestation.

• Gestational age
• patient preferences
• patient satisfaction
• planned cesarean section
• scheduling