Acceptance of repeat cesarean section and its determinants among a Nigerian pregnant women population

Abstract

Background: Many women who need caesarian section in most sub Saharan Africa do not get it or do so too late, thereby resulting in an unnecessary increase in maternal and perinatal adverse outcome. Refusal of caesarian section has been attributed to poverty and sociocultural factors. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the level of acceptance of repeat cesarean section (CS) among pregnant women attending care in a government-funded health facility with a policy of free maternity care services. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 157 consecutive consenting antenatal clinic clients with previous CS presenting for booking in Central Hospital, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. The women completed a questionnaire with sections on sociodemographic attributes, inquiry about previous CS outcome and associated factors, a desire to accept a repeat CS if clinically indicated in index pregnancy, as well as reasons to decline a repeat CS. Results: The acceptance rate of repeat CS was 54%. Women with two or more previous CS were more likely to accept repeat CS (71.8% vs. 48.3%, prevalence ratio: 1.5; P = 0.02). There was no sociodemographic variable or any event related to the previous CS which was significantly associated with the women's choice regarding repeat CS. The rejection of repeat CS was mainly due to concerns about postoperative pain and being tagged with “failure of womanhood.” Conclusions: The level of acceptance of repeat CS in Central Hospital, Agbor, is low despite the policy of free maternity care. Along with the increasing effort to make health care affordable, attention needs to be paid to the role of patient and community engagement in the form of health education and continuous counseling to address noncost barriers to achieving improved maternal and perinatal health indices.