Abstract
Background: Cesarean section (CS) delivery reduces the risk of complications associated with vaginal delivery, but it is associated with short term and long-term complications.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of CS, and to assess the extent of Saudi women's awareness and attitude towards the long-term and short-term complications of caesarean sections.
Methods: A cross sectional study using an electronic questionnaire was distributed to 384 women in the reproductive age at Taif City with an age ranging from 18 to 56 years. The questionnaire included items about participants' demographic data, previous delivery, presence of chronic diseases or complications after CS, and items related to the knowledge and attitude towards CS.
Results: Of the participants, 68.8% prefer normal delivery, 77.6% saw that cesarean section is more harmful than normal delivery, and 39.8% saw that cesarean section is safer for the mother and the baby. For the participants who had previous CS (38% of the sample), and 16.9% had CS for health causes and complications for the fetus. About 18% of them said that constant pain was the common complication of CS, 47.9% saw that uterine adhesion is the most common complication of a CS in the long-term, while 44.1% saw that delay and lack of breastfeeding is the most common complications of the CS on the child.
Conclusions: This study calls for health education of all women about advantages and disadvantages of CS to enable mothers to take the proper decision.