Ask a Doctor

Tamara Thompson, MD
Midtown Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inc.
270 East Town Street
Columbus, Ohio 43216
(614) 224-0115

Q: Why do women have elective cesarean sections and what are the risks to mom or baby?

A: Women have elective cesareans for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that it is very convenient for both the parents and the obstetrician. The date and approximate time of the birth can be scheduled weeks or months in advance.

Some physicians believe that elective cesareans will decrease future medical problems such as urinary or fecal incontinence and pelvic prolapse (commonly thought of as the uterus or bladder falling out). Not all physicians agree with this theory, and it is important to note that women who have never been pregnant may also develop these problems.

There is little risk to the baby during a cesarean. The fluid that is normally squeezed out of the baby’s lung as it passes though the birth canal can sometimes be harder to clear when a baby is delivered by cesarean, but that is something delivery room personnel are trained to monitor after delivery and suction out as needed. 

The major risk of a cesarean is to the mother. There is the risk of wound infection as well as greater blood loss compared to an average vaginal delivery. The recovery is generally more painful and takes longer as well. With fewer doctors allowing VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean), your future deliveries would also likely be by cesarean. Each sequential cesarean or other abdominal surgery is more difficult to perform due to scar tissue and can increase the chance that certain other obstetric complications may occur.