Indications of caesarean section in pregnant women attending a public maternity teaching hospital and private hospitals in Sulaimani city Iraq

Objective: To determine the frequency and indications of caesarean sections among pregnant women in an urbansetting.Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1, 2021, to February 1, 2022, at public-sectorMaternity Teaching Hospital and private-sector Baxshin and Harem hospitals in Sulaimani, Iraq, after approval fromthe ethics review committee of the College of Health and Medical Technology, Sulaimani. The sample comprisedpregnant women who were admitted to the maternity wards and who underwent caesarean section. Data wascollected using a predesigned questionnaire filled through face-to-face interviews individually. Data was analysedusing SPSS 25.Results: There were 474 pregnant women with mean age 28±6.87 years. Of the total, elective caesarean section caseswere 384(81%) and emergency cases were 90(19%). The main indications of caesarean section were mother’s request266(56.2%), fear of pain in natural vaginal delivery 375(79.1%), history of previous caesarean section 38(8%),cephalopelvic disproportion 26(5.5%), history of diabetes 21(4.4%), pre-eclampsia 19(4%) and bad obstetrichistory/infertility 10(2.1%). Age, parity, previous history of caesarean section and mother’s occupation weresignificantly associated with the type of caesarean section (p<0.05).Conclusion: Caesarean section rates were found to be much higher than recommended.Keywords: Prevalence, Caesarean section, Indications, Suliamani city, Iraq.