Uzma Shabab, Shagufta Tahir.
Effect of obesity on cesarean section rate.
J Surg Pak Jan ;15(2):92-6.

Objective To determine the frequency of cesarean section in obese pregnant women. Study design Descriptive study. Place & Duration of study Liaquat National Hospital Karachi, from October 2008- April 2009. Methodology Two hundred and forty four women were enrolled in the study. Both primigravida and multigravida with BMI 30 kg/m² or more, before 16 weeks of pregnancy were booked from out-patient department. Women with multiple pregnancies, previous cesarean section, pregnancies with medical disorders etc were excluded. Data was analyzed by using SPSS- 10 version. Results Out of 244 women recruited, one hundred and forty (57.4%) women were primigravida and 104 (42.6%) multigravida. Mean BMI was 31.18kg/m² ±SD 1.17. Spontaneous labor started in 154 (63.1%), while labor was induced in 77 (31.6%). Thirteen patients (5.3%) were delivered by elective cesarean section. Spontaneous vaginal delivery occurred in 116 women (47.5%), instrumental delivery in 31(12.7%) and cesarean section in 97 women (39.8%). Mean BMI of patients delivered by spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) was 31.47kg/m², by instrumental 31.66kg/m2, by cesarean section 32.33 kg/m² (p <0.001). Conclusions Obesity significantly increased the frequency of cesarean section especially in primigravida.

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