OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of cesarean section (CS) in pregnant women with a diagnosis of thrombophilia and to identify risk factors for CS.
Study design: The women were recognized by an ICD-9 code from a computerized database. Maternal records were reviewed between the years 2000 and 2005. Pregnancy characteristics of 86 women with thrombophilia were compared according to the mode of delivery: CS (n = 18) versus vaginal delivery (n = 68).
Results: The prevalence of CS in the study population was 21% (18/86). Women with CS had a lower gestational age at delivery (P = 0.019), lower birth weight (P = 0.048), higher incidence of the following: preterm delivery (P < 0.001), gestational hypertension (P = 0.028), intrauterine growth retardation/antepartum death/placental abruption (P = 0.065) and non-reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR) monitoring (P < 0.001) compared to those with vaginal delivery. In a multiple logistic regression analysis only NRFHR monitoring, birth weight and malpresentation remained statistically significant.
Conclusion: CS in women with thrombophilia are associated with common obstetrical causes rather than specific thrombophilia dependent factors.