Natural Delivery Success Rate Declined in Early Pandemic

The success rate of vaginal deliveries in women who had undergone a previous C- section may have declined during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding was reached by a new observational study carried out by a research team at the University of Cordoba and the Maimonides Institute of Biomedical Research. The study is published in the journal Women and Birth.

According to the study's data,the success of this type of natural childbirth in women with a prior C-section was significantly higher in the period before the pandemic than during the first two waves of COVID-19.

Two of the researchers responsible for the study, Pedro Hidalgo and Pablo Jesús López say, 'During this period, the coronavirus exploded In Spain, wreaking havoc, and the massive contagion of a pathogen that was poorly understood may have affected hospitals and their management, much more focused on stopping the pandemic’.

Despite this difference observed during this period, the study data should be viewed with some caution. In addition, it should be pointed out that the study, in which data was collected from 276 mothers, focused on a single Andalusian province.

Furthermore, the study is the first approach within a line of research that is still underway; and, as the latest data seem to indicate, this difference has become less pronounced as the pandemic has evolved, proof that the hospitals have been adapting to the changing circumstances.

The fact that a woman has had a preceding cesarean delivery could influence future pregnancies. For this reason, the research team has undertaken this line of research to help healthcare personnel make decisions in this type of situation.

Advertisement

Although it is the mother who decides, as long as there are no risk factors in her medical history, vaginal delivery is ideal, even if there has been a previous cesarean section.

Meanwhile, the research group will continue to analyze all the elements involved in this process, such as example, gestational age, the use of oxytocin, and epidural anesthesia, and whether the patient has previously given birth vaginally, a factor that favors the success of future natural childbirths.

Advertisement

Source-Medindia