Table of contents:
- Why are pregnant women with short stature usually recommended to have a cesarean section?
- How is CPD diagnosed?
- What about the next pregnancy?
Caesarean section is an operation performed when a mother is unable to give birth vaginally. Caesarean section is an alternative and option of action that can prevent death and disability in infants and mothers. Even so, according to WHO, although a caesarean section is indeed an effective measure to take to save the lives of babies and mothers, it can only be done if there are medical indications that support a caesarean section.
Like surgery or other medical procedures, caesarean section is also associated with many risks that can occur, namely long-term risks and short-term risks that can affect the health of the baby and mother into the future. If you have a cesarean section, the recovery time is longer after having a cesarean section compared to having a normal birth. After cesarean section, common complications for mothers are:
- Infection
- Loss of blood in a significant amount
- Blood vessel clotting in the leg
- Nausea, vomiting and headaches
- Constipation
- Injury to other organs such as the bladder that can occur during a cesarean section
- About 2 in 100,000 mothers who undergo cesarean section, die
Whereas in babies, cesarean section also causes various things, such as:
- Experienced an injury during the operation
- Having problems with the respiratory system and lungs
- Need special care in the neonatal intensive unit
Why are pregnant women with short stature usually recommended to have a cesarean section?
Many studies have stated that the mother's height can predict the condition of future pregnancies. Various studies have shown that if height can determine the size of a person's pelvis, the shorter a person is, the smaller the size of the pelvis. Pelvic size is an important factor affecting the success of normal delivery.
When giving birth normally, the pelvis will expand immediately, to create more room for the baby to pass through the pelvis. Whereas in mothers with a narrow pelvic size, it is likely that the fetal head cannot pass through the pelvic cavity. Therefore it is necessary to do a caesarean section, this is called Cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD).
Studies that have been carried out in various countries, found that the height of a mother with 150-153 cm in Ghana, <155 cm in Burkina, <156 cm in Denmark, is the same as 150 cm in Kenya, <146 cm in Tanzania, <140 cm in India, equal to 157 cm in America, is the average mother who has a cesarean section caused by CPD.
Hip size is related to height. As many as 34% of women who have a short body (152.5 cm), 7% of them have a flat and narrow pelvis compared to women who are tall (176 cm). Research conducted in Scotland, reported that more caesarean section was performed by women who had a height of less than 160 cm, while women who had a height of more than that performed normal labor. The same thing was found in a study in Australia, where women less than 152 cm, have a two times greater chance of having a cesarean section than women who are tall. Even when the woman is less than 145 cm tall, it is almost 100% certain that she will have a cesarean section at birth.
How is CPD diagnosed?
The diagnosis of CPD can be done by conducting a medical examination, because CPD is actually difficult to diagnose in early pregnancy or before labor takes place. Performing an ultrasound examination can be done to estimate the size of the fetus, but it cannot determine the fetal weight. A physical exam that measures pelvic size can often be the most accurate method of diagnosing CPD.
What about the next pregnancy?
Cephalopelvic disproportion is a fairly rare occurrence. According to American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), CPD occurs in 1 in 250 pregnancies. Don't worry too if you were diagnosed with CPD in the previous birth and then did a caesarean, because you can still do the next birth normally. According to a study published by American Journal of Public Health , more than 65% of women who have been diagnosed with CPD in a previous pregnancy are able to give birth normally in a subsequent pregnancy.
