To evaluate women's preferences for timing of elective cesarean section (ECS) scheduled prior to versus after 39 completed weeks. Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled open-label trial were conducted at seven Danish tertiary hospitals from March 2009 to June 2011 with inclusion of singleton pregnant women with a healthy fetus. The women were allocated by a computerized telephone system to ECS scheduled at 38(+3) weeks or 39(+3) weeks of gestation. Dissatisfaction with timing of ECS and preferred timing of the procedure in a proposed future ECS delivery were evaluated. Data analyses were done by intention-to-treat, using logistic regression. A total of 1196 women (94%) completed an online questionnaire at follow-up eight weeks postpartum. In the 38 weeks group, 61 (10%) women 601 were dissatisfied with the timing of their ECS, whereas in the 39 weeks group 157 (26%) of 595 were dissatisfied (adjOR 3.18, 95% CI 2.30; 4.40). The proportion of women who preferred the same timing in a future ECS were 272 (45%) in the 38 weeks group compared to 232 (39%) in the 39(+3) weeks group (adjOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60; 0.95).
The women in this trial preferred ECS scheduled prior to 39 weeks of gestation.
Do pregnant women prefer timing of elective cesarean section prior to versus after 39 weeks of gestation?