Predictors of caesarean section - a cross-sectional study in Hungary.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyse the factors associated with caesarean section (CS) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Szeged, Hungary.

STUDY DESIGN: Data collection was based on self-administered questionnaire and medical records related to the deliveries in the year of 2014. Maternal age, education level, marital status, pre-gestational body mass index (BMI), infertility treatment, previous CS, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pre-pregnancy hypertension and pregnancy-induced hypertension (HT/PIH) were examined. The participation rate was 67.3%, multiple pregnancies and questionnaires with missing data were excluded (n = 1493). Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed.

RESULTS: There were 1125 (45.4%) CSs out of 2479 deliveries. CS rate: 40.0%. Underweight 109 (7.1%), normal 921 (60.2%), overweight 320 (20.9%) obese 181 (11.8%).

HT/PIH: 7.6% (n = 117), GDM: 10.1% (n = 155). The odds of CS were significantly higher among obese mothers (OR: 1.81) compared with the normal weight group. Increasing maternal age (OR: 0.97) and being underweight (OR: 0.59) significantly decreased, previous CS (OR: 12.19), infertility treatment (OR: 1.91) and HT/PIH (OR: 1.87) significantly increased the probability of CS.

CONCLUSIONS: Pre-gestational obesity, infertility treatment, previous CS and HT/PIH had significant effect on the mode of delivery.