Background: Primary Caesarean Section (CS), especially in primiparous women, significantly influences the mode of delivery in the next pregnancy. It is therefore important to identify the common indications and prevalence with a view to finding possible suggestions to reduce the rate. This article reviewed the CS rate and indications among primiparous women over a 5-year period in a semi-urban Government Hospital in South-South Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed eight hundred and eleven primiparous women who had CS at the Central Hospital Agbor (CHA), Delta state, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. The data was collected using a data collection proforma and the analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software, version 25.0 for Windows, and the results were presented using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 5,951 deliveries were conducted, out of which 2,607 were delivered through CS, resulting in a CS delivery rate of 43.8%. The CS rate among the primiparous group was 13.6%. The commonest indications were foetal distress (14.8%), Nullipara breech (10.9%), obstructed labour (10.2%), and suspected foetal macrosomia (8.9%). The mean age of patients was 27.6 ±5.39 years, while the minimum and maximum ages were 16 and 44 years, respectively. Conclusion: While the overall CS rate was high, the primary CS rate fell within the WHO recommended rate of 10-15%. The finding suggests that efforts to reduce unnecessary primary CS rate have been effective, but attention is needed to address the overall CS rate.
Ngozi Maduka (Wed,) studied this question.