Complications of C-section before 39 weeks

An elective repeat caesarean delivery done at term but before 39 weeks increases the risk of complications in newborns as compared to c-sections performed at 39 or 40 weeks. Caesareans are generally not recommended before 39 weeks but can be scheduled earlier to accommodate the patient and physician's convenience. Researchers from America assessed the outcomes of c-sections performed before 39 weeks of gestation and neonatal problems. They studied 13,258 elective repeat caesarean deliveries conducted between 37-39 weeks of gestation of which about 6 percent were done at 37 weeks, 29 percent at 38 weeks and 49 percent at 39 weeks of gestation. It was found that neonatal complications occurred in 8 percent of the c-section deliveries performed at 39 weeks, 11 percent at 38 weeks and 15 percent at 37 weeks of gestation. The risk of respiratory distress syndrome was quadrupled among births at 37 weeks and doubled among those at 38 weeks. The odds of the baby having a serious infection, low blood sugar levels, being admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) or having an extended hospital stay were also more than twice as high at 37 weeks as at 39 weeks. Very serious outcomes were rare in this group of low-risk term births. Moreover, deliveries occurring during the last 3 to 4 days of the 38th week of gestation were still associated with increased neonatal problems. Therefore, the researchers concluded that an elective caesarean delivery before 39 weeks of gestation is common but associated with respiratory and other adverse neonatal outcomes.

Show full article