Why do women shy away from elective C-sections?

The objectives of our study were to evaluate the level of fear of childbirth, its correlation with the choice of caesarean section and other factors associated with this choice.This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study including 200 pregnant women between January 15 and March 15, 2024, at Hedi Chaker Hospital, Sfax. We used a questionnaire including the Fear of Childbirth Scale.The mean age was 28.3 ±5.7 years. Primiparous women represented 48.5% of the series. Relatives were the main source of information (81%). Women chose Caesarean section in 65.5% of cases. The mean fear of childbirth score was 53.53 ±13.7, and a high score was significantly associated with the choice of Caesarean section (p<0.001). Factors associated with the choice of Caesarean section were low socioeconomic status (p=0.02), episiotomy (p=0.001), lack of information to the patient prior to the procedure (p=0.018) and primiparity (p=0.001).In view of the high prevalence of caesarean sections, it is essential to inform pregnant women and prepare them for childbirth.