Author(s)

Amal Radi Al Somairi, Wafa Abdulaziz Bedaiwi, Yaser Abdulkarim Faden

King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Jeddah, KSA.

Background: The timing of elective repeat cesarean delivery at 38 weeks versus 39 weeks is still a debatable subject, both regarding maternal and neonatal outcomes. In the Saudi context, there is lack of local data to aid decision-making regarding the timing of elective repeat cesarean delivery. Objectives: To estimate the rate of spontaneous onset of labor before the planned gestational age for repeat cesarean section in women who were booked at gestational age of (39 0/7 - 39 6/7) weeks (W39) versus (38 0/7 - 38 6/7) weeks (W38) and to compare the rate of maternal composite outcome between these groups. Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: This study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, KSA. Method: Delivery registry books were reviewed to identify all deliveries from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016 (3 years). All low-risk pregnant women who had 2 or more cesarean deliveries and who met the inclusion criteria were included. Results: A total of 440 women were included of whom 318 (72.3%) were planned for elective cesarean section at W38 gestational age and 122 women at W39 gestational age. Mothers planned at W39 had higher rate of emergency cesarean deliveries versus those planned at W38 (18.0% versus 10.4%, p = 0.030; RR = 13.06), most frequently due to early onset of contractions (16.4% versus 8.2%, p = 0.012; RR = 12.17) or cervical dilatation (11.6% versus 5.4%, p = 0.024, RR = 16.15). No difference in the incidence of individual or composite maternal complications was noted between the two groups. Mother’s age (OR 0.93, p = 0.018) and schedule date at W39 (OR = 1.94, p = 0.028) were independently associated with spontaneous onset of labor before the scheduled gestational age, while no association was found with parity, previous number of spontaneous vaginal deliveries, number of previous cesarean deliveries or interval from last cesarean delivery. Conclusion: Elective cesarean section scheduled at 39 weeks of gestation or beyond carries a higher risk of emergency cesarean section, with no significant increase in maternal complications. The identification of factors associated with spontaneous onset of labor before the planned gestational age should be carefully identified to determine the optimal timing.

Elective Cesarean, Emergency Cesarean, Repeat Cesarean, Previous Cesarean, Spontaneous Onset of Labor, Maternal Outcome, Neonatal Outcome, Timing of Delivery, Risk Factors

Somairi, A. , Bedaiwi, W. and Faden, Y. (2023) Timing of Elective Repeat Cesarean Delivery at 38 Weeks versus 39 Weeks: Rate of Spontaneous Onset of Labor before Planned Cesarean Section and Impact on Maternal Outcome: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 13, 550-565. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2023.133049.