Cesarean vs Vaginal Delivery : An Institutional Experience

INTRODUCTION: According to the WHO, 15% of deliveries have precise indication for cesarean section where it is mandatory for the preservation of maternal and/or fetal health. Increasing rates of Lower Segment Caesarean Sections puts foreword various question that, whether a LSCS need to be reflected as a normal delivery in this twenty first century. There are conflicting reports regarding the safety of caesarean sections. While a significant number of cesarean delivery are performed for obstetrical indications, some are simply due to maternal request and may incur several risks for the child. Not much study has compared the complications of caesarean section with those of vaginal birth. Objective of this study is to find out and compare the common complications of cesarean section with vaginal deliveries on mothers. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted in two selected hospitals of Rupandehi district, Nepal. Data was collected as per pretested structured proforma from 550 respondents randomly and analyzed by using SPSS, MANOVA and Chi-square test to determine associations between categorical variables. RESULTS: In total of 550 mothers, 408 (74.2%) had vaginal delivery and 142 (25.8%) had cesarean delivery. The common maternal complications were postpartum hemorrhage 116 (21.1%), prolonged labor 47 (8.5%) and wound infection 42 (7.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The result of the study shows that the maternal complications were higher among LSCS compared to vaginal delivery.