What are the potential risks of cesarean section?
The risks of cesarean section may be divided into immediate or short-term risks, long-term risks or the risks of accumulating cesareans, and risks affecting future pregnancies and births. Short-term risks can include: • Pain, debility, and a longer recovery period: In one study, one-quarter of the women reported pain when interviewed two weeks after their cesareans and 15 percent still reported pain at eight weeks (33). More than 15 percent reported difficulties with normal activities such as getting out of bed, walking, bending, lifting and tending the baby at two weeks. One in ten still reported problems at eight weeks. • Surgical complications: A ten-year review at one hospital reported a 4.5 percent incidence of major complications, that is, severe hemorrhage, need for repeat surgery (generally to investigate bleeding), pelvic infection, blood clots, pneumonia, blood poisoning (septicemia), or clotting dysfunction (a result of severe hemorrhage) (56). Nearly one-third of cesarean m