Obstetricians say yes to maternal request for elective caesarean section: a survey of current opinion

Aim: To determine what proportion of obstetricians would agree to elective pre-labour CS for;maternal request'. Methods: Every fifth consultant on an alphabetical list of obstetricians in England and Wales obtained from the R COG (243) was surveyed by post and asked (a) "Would you agree to perform an elective CS on a woman with an uncomplicated singleton cephalic pregnancy at term for 'maternal request?"' and (b) if yes, in relation to this 'Has y our practice changed over recent years?" Results: 155 questionnaires were r eturned (63% response rate-four unanswered, leaving 151 for analysis). One hundred and four (69%) consultants said they would agree to 'maternal reque st' for CS. Of the 'yes' respondents, 62 (60%) claimed their practice had c hanged recently. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates that a majority of ob stetricians are now prepared to agree to maternal request for CS in the abs ence of obstetric indications. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All r ights reserved.