COMPARING MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES OF CESAREAN SECTION AND VAGINAL DELIVERIES IN RESOURCE-LIMITED SETTINGS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Jyoti Chaudhary, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Soumya Sanskruti Sahoo, Stockholm School of Economics

Given the associated complications with cesarean section, now alternative methods to shift the trajectory to encouraging normal labor are being considered. This systematic review aims to comprehensively synthesize the current evidence regarding the maternal health outcomes associated with cesarean section and vaginal deliveries. The electronic databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched between 2014 to 2023. All research articles evaluating health outcomes post each delivery mode- Cesarean or Vaginal delivery in the lower middle-income countries are included. In total 476 articles were initially identified and based on the inclusion-exclusion criterion, a total of 34 studies were finally included in the review. A narrative synthesis of the articles was conducted to summarise the findings of the included studies. Caesarean section deliveries have seen a surge in recent times, however Caesarean section cannot always be a safe option because of the related comorbidities that are associated with it. It still remains a challenge to strike a balance between concern for safety and the need to decrease caesarean section rates. The lack of emergency care for addressing obstetric complications like postpartum haemorrhage in facilities is a common challenge prevalent in low resource settings such as India.

Keywords: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Data and Methods, Health and Morbidity, Fertility

See paper.