Factors Influencing Polish Women's Preference for the Mode of Delivery and Shared-Decision Making: Has Anything Changed over the Last Decade?

Background and Objectives: Shared-decision making has become an important trend in the problem of women’s preference for the way of delivery. There are different factors influencing women, including obstetric history, culture, religion, family and social influences. Materials and Methods: The study was designed as an online survey with the aim of acquiring information about women’s knowledge, opinions and preferences about the mode of delivery and the decision-making process. Data were collected from 1175 women in 2010 and 1033 in 2020. Results: A significant increase in the proportion of women who prefer vaginal delivery (VD) was found to be present with an increasing level of education, with the lowest rate in the group with primary education (66.0% in 2010 and 33.3% in 2020) and highest with medical education—86.3% in 2010 and 69.3% in 2020 (p < 0.05). This trend existed both in 2010 and 2020; however, the proportion of women who preferred VD has decreased over the last decade in all groups, and even two-fold in the primary education group. No significant correlation was found between a history of previous delivery and the preference of the way of delivery, decision-making or paid cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR). A history of VD significantly reduced the preference for having a cesarean delivery, with only 6.9% of women in 2010 with a history of VD, and 8.9% in 2020 having preferred a cesarean delivery. In 2010, 34.9% of women with a history of cesarean section (CS) only, compared to 6.9% of women with a history VD only, had preference for CS with, respectively, 36.4% vs. 5.8% in 2020. Conclusions: As the proportion of women who prefer cesarean delivery has significantly increased over the last decade, we should emphasize the importance of educating women about the advantages and disadvantages of vaginal and cesarean delivery. The patient’s preference should always be discussed with the obstetrician and the medical indications explained.