Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30840678›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2019

How is women's demand for caesarean section measured? A systematic literature review.

Clémence Schantz, Myriam de Loenzien, Sophie Goyet, Marion Ravit, Aurélien Dancoisne, Alexandre Dumont

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Cesarean delivery on maternal request and Robson classification.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Cesarean delivery on maternal request in Brazil: an analysis based on the perceptions of survivors of the placenta accreta spectrum.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2025
    Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Clémence SchantzCEPED, IRD, Université Paris Descartes, Inserm, équipe SAGESUD, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0003-2825-4531
Myriam de LoenzienCEPED, IRD, Université Paris Descartes, Inserm, équipe SAGESUD, Paris, France.
Sophie GoyetIndependent researcher, Annecy Le Vieux, France.
Marion RavitCEPED, IRD, Université Paris Descartes, Inserm, équipe SAGESUD, Paris, France.
Aurélien DancoisneFrench Authority for Health, Saint-Denis La Plaine, France.
Alexandre DumontCEPED, IRD, Université Paris Descartes, Inserm, équipe SAGESUD, Paris, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCaesarean section rates are increasing worldwide, and since the 2000s, several researchers have investigated women's demand for caesarean sections. QUESTION: The aim of this article was to review and summarise published studies investigating caesarean section demand and to describe the methodologies, outcomes, country characteristics and country income levels in these studies.

methodsThis is a systematic review of studies published between 2000 and 2017 in French and English that quantitatively measured women's demand for caesarean sections. We carried out a systematic search using the Medline database in PubMed.

findingsThe search strategy identified 390 studies, 41 of which met the final inclusion criteria, representing a total sample of 3 774 458 women. We identified two different study designs, i.e., cross-sectional studies and prospective cohort studies, that are commonly used to measure social demand for caesarean sections. Two different types of outcomes were reported, i.e., the preferences of pregnant or non-pregnant women regarding the method of childbirth in the future and caesarean delivery following maternal request. No study measured demand for caesarean section during the childbirth process. All included studies were conducted in middle- (n = 24) and high-income countries (n = 17), and no study performed in a low-income country was found. DISCUSSION: Measuring caesarean section demand is challenging, and the structural violence leading to demand for caesarean section during childbirth while in the labour ward remains invisible. In addition, the caesarean section demand in low-income countries remains unclear due to the lack of studies conducted in these countries.

conclusionWe recommend conducting prospective cohort studies to describe the social construction of caesarean section demand. We also recommend conducting studies in low-income countries because demand for caesarean sections in these countries is rarely investigated.

Indexed as

Cesarean SectionCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansPatient PreferencePovertyPregnancyProspective StudiesSocial EnvironmentSocioeconomic Factors

Identifiers

PMID30840678
PMCPMC6402700

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.