What is Turkish women’s opinion about vaginal delivery?

OBJECTIVE: To determine Turkish women’s opinion about vaginal birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Süleymaniye Maternity Research and Training Hospital in İstanbul, Turkey, between February 2015 and April 2015. The participants of this study were 100 primiparous pregnant women who had vaginal deliveries. The women were interviewed face-to-face after the birth. Data were collected through a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety percent of the women reported vaginal birth as the ideal mode of delivery route; a minority of the women (10%) had decided on cesarean birth before having a vaginal birth. Anxiety of pain was the major factor that influenced choice of delivery type before giving birth. After vaginal birth, 84% of women were satisfied with vaginal birth and reported that they would prefer vaginal birth for their next pregnancy. However, 16% reported that they would prefer cesarean birth for their next pregnancy due to pain of labor, pain of episiotomy, anxiety, and prolonged duration of labor. CONCLUSION: The results suggest the majority of women prefer to give birth vaginally and reported vaginal birth as the ideal choice.