Surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen
Caesarean section
A team of five performing a caesarean section[1]
Other names
C-section, caesarean section, caesarean delivery
Specialty
Obstetrics, gynaecology, surgery, neonatology, pediatrics, family medicine
ICD-10-PCS
10D00Z0
ICD-9-CM
74
MeSH
D002585
MedlinePlus
002911
[edit on Wikidata]
Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because vaginal delivery would put the mother or child at risk.[2] Reasons for the operation include obstructed labor, twin pregnancy, high blood pressure in the mother, breech birth, shoulder presentation, and problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.[2][3] A caesarean delivery may be performed based upon the shape of the mother's pelvis or history of a previous C-section.[2][3] A trial of vaginal birth after C-section may be possible.[2] The World Health Organization recommends that caesarean section be performed only when medically necessary.[3][4]
A C-section typically takes 45 minutes to an hour.[2] It may be done with a spinal block, where the woman is awake, or under general anesthesia.[2] A urinary catheter is used to drain the bladder, and the skin of the abdomen is then cleaned with an antiseptic.[2] An incision of about 15 cm (6 inches) is then typically made through the mother's lower abdomen.[2] The uterus is then opened with a second incision and the baby delivered.[2] The incisions are then stitched closed.[2] A woman can typically begin breastfeeding as soon as she is out of the operating room and awake.[5] Often, several days are required in the hospital to recover sufficiently to return home.[2]
C-sections result in a small overall increase in poor outcomes in low-risk pregnancies.[3] They also typically take longer to heal from, about six weeks, than vaginal birth.[2] The increased risks include breathing problems in the baby and amniotic fluid embolism and postpartum bleeding in the mother.[3] Established guidelines recommend that caesarean sections not be used before 39 weeks of pregnancy without a medical reason.[6] The method of delivery does not appear to have an effect on subsequent sexual function.[7]
In 2012, about 23 million C-sections were done globally.[8] The international healthcare community has previously considered the rate of 10% and 15% to be ideal for caesarean sections.[4] Some evidence finds a higher rate of 19% may result in better outcomes.[8] More than 45 countries globally have C-section rates less than 7.5%, while more than 50 have rates greater than 27%.[8] Efforts are being made to both improve access to and reduce the use of C-section.[8] In the United States as of 2017, about 32% of deliveries are by C-section.[9] The surgery has been performed at least as far back as 715 BC following the death of the mother, with the baby occasionally surviving.[10] A popular idea is that the Roman statesman Julius Caesar was born via caesarean section and is the namesake of the procedure, but if this is the true etymology, it is based on a misconception: until the modern era, C-sections seem to have been invariably fatal to the mother, and Caesar's mother Aurelia not only survived her son's birth but lived for nearly 50 years afterward.[11][12] There are many ancient and medieval legends, oral histories, and historical records of laws about C-sections around the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.[13][14] The first recorded successful C-section (where both the mother and the infant survived) was performed on a woman in Switzerland in 1500 by her husband, Jakob Nufer, though this was not recorded until 8 decades later.[13] With the introduction of antiseptics and anesthetics in the 19th century, survival of both the mother and baby, and thus the procedure, became significantly more common.[10][15]
^Fadhley S (2014). "Caesarean section photography". WikiJournal of Medicine. 1 (2). doi:10.15347/wjm/2014.006.
^ abcdefghijkl"Pregnancy Labor and Birth". Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ abcde"Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery". American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. March 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
^ ab"WHO Statement on Caesarean Section Rates" (PDF). 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
^Lauwers J, Swisher A (2010). "Hospital Practices that Support Breast Feeding". Counseling the Nursing Mother: A Lactation Consultant's Guide. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-4496-1948-0. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017.
^American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question", Choosing Wisely: an initiative of the ABIM Foundation, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, archived from the original on 1 September 2013, retrieved 1 August 2013
^Yeniel AO, Petri E (January 2014). "Pregnancy, childbirth, and sexual function: perceptions and facts". International Urogynecology Journal. 25 (1): 5–14. doi:10.1007/s00192-013-2118-7. PMID 23812577. S2CID 2638969.
^ abcdMolina G, Weiser TG, Lipsitz SR, Esquivel MM, Uribe-Leitz T, Azad T, et al. (December 2015). "Relationship Between Cesarean Delivery Rate and Maternal and Neonatal Mortality". JAMA. 314 (21): 2263–2270. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.15553. PMID 26624825.
^"Births: Provisional Data for 2017" (PDF). CDC. May 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
^ abMoore MC, de Costa C (2004). "A Brief History of Cesarean Section". Cesarean Section: Understanding and Celebrating Your Baby's Birth. JHU Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-8018-8133-6.
^Meehan FP (January 1988). "Caesarean section-past, present and what of the future?". Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 8 (3): 201–205. doi:10.3109/01443618809012284. ISSN 0144-3615.
^"Cesarean Section - A Brief History preface". www.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
^ abDhakal-Rai S, van Teijlingen E, Regmi P, Wood J, Dangal G, Dhakal KB (10 October 2021). "A brief history and indications for cesarean section". Journal of Patan Academy of Health Sciences. 8 (3): e1–e10. doi:10.3126/jpahs.v8i3.27657. ISSN 2091-2749.
^Hillan EM (October 1991). "Caesarean Section: Historical Background". Scottish Medical Journal. 36 (5): 150–154. doi:10.1177/003693309103600511. ISSN 0036-9330. PMID 1788548.
^"The Truth About Julius Caesar and "Caesarean" Sections". 25 October 2013.
Caesareansection, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision...
A lower (uterine) segment Caesareansection (LSCS) is the most commonly used type of Caesareansection. Most commonly to deliver the baby a transverse...
after caesareansection (VBAC) Elective repeat caesareansection (ERCS) Both have higher risks than a vaginal birth with no previous caesareansection. There...
13, 1842) was the first American physician to perform a successful Caesareansection, which he performed on his own wife at the birth of their only child...
obstetrics. Most babies in the breech position are delivered via caesareansection because it is seen as safer than being born vaginally. Doctors and...
exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesareansection. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million human births globally. In...
Caesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) is a caesareansection birth requested by the pregnant woman without a medical reason. The concept of "Caesarean...
baby's heart rate) and may require the mother to have an emergency caesareansection. There is no high quality evidence to indicate if IV oxytocin should...
son Gerardo by caesareansection. She was 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days old, the youngest person in history to give birth. The caesarean birth was necessitated...
resuscitative hysterotomy, also referred to as a perimortem Caesareansection (PMCS) or perimortem Caesarean delivery (PMCD), is a hysterotomy performed to resuscitate...
the second trimester (or abortion) and delivering the fetus during caesareansection. It is also used to gain access and perform surgery on a fetus during...
childbirth. It was developed to allow more accurate comparison of caesareansection rates between different settings, whether they be individual hospitals...
investigated in the study. Over 80% of Bulldog litters are delivered by Caesareansection because their characteristically large heads can become lodged in...
childbirth might increase likelihood of vaginal birth (rather than Caesareansection), decrease the need for pain medication during labor, and improve...
vacuum extraction, or caesareansection. In a large study, a majority of brow presentations were delivered by caesareansection, however, because of 'postmaturity'...
delivery through the use of forceps or a vacuum extractor, or perform a Caesareansection. Symptoms include: Labor extends beyond 18 hours Dehydration and exhaustion...
method of delivery, with lower morbidity and mortality than caesareansections (C-sections). 70% of births in the United States in 2019 were vaginal deliveries...
death – a federal crime. Stinnett's baby, who had survived the crude caesareansection, was safely recovered by authorities and returned to the father. Montgomery...
Textbook of CaesareanSection. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-107631-2. "The Truth About Julius Caesar and "Caesarean" Sections". Today I Found...
animals without the double-muscling gene. Calves are commonly born by Caesareansection; cows may be able to survive five or six deliveries of this type.: 256 : 110 ...
cervical dilation when there is no option of a caesareansection. In some Irish cases, caesareansections were performed after symphysiotomies. Currently...
down a caesareansection is often recommended. It is estimated that 75% of twin pregnancies in the United States were delivered by caesareansection in 2008...
veterinarian who, around 1500, reportedly performed the first successful Caesareansection in history in which the mother (his wife) survived. His wife allegedly...
though the average for a vaginal birth is one to two days. The average caesareansection postnatal stay is three to four days. During this time, the mother...
childbirth as an alternative to caesareansection. Its use has decreased over the years in comparison to caesareansection. The two main instruments used...
greater risk of non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern and emergency caesareansection. The growth-restricting impacts of placental insufficiency resulting...
and major degrees (traditional grade III and IV) a caesareansection is indicated. Caesareansection is contraindicated in cases of disseminated intravascular...
deform the uterus, leading to reproductive issues. During a Roman Caesareansection, the doctors would make an incision into the abdomen and uterus of...