ArticleBMC public health2023
An increase in cesarean section rate during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.
Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating the safety and efficacy of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir therapy in pregnant women with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Beyond medical indications: exploring nonclinical cesarean section from healthcare providers' perspectives in southeast Iran.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Reproductive Health Outcomes Associated With Domestic Violence Among Iranian Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Pregnant Women in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2025Review
- Development and validation of machine learning models for predicting post-cesarean pain and individualized pain management strategies: a multicenter study.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surgical care continuum in Ethiopia: a national survey.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Surge in C-section deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from a cross-sectional study in Gujarat, India.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- COVID-19 in pregnancy: Perinatal outcomes and complications.World journal of virology · 2024Article
- Xyla-P Cream vs. Lidocaine Spray: Impact on Patient Satisfaction, Anxiety, Cooperation, and Pain in Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Is domestic violence during COVID-19 in lactating women related to infantile colic? An important question.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Maternal and perinatal health indicators in Brazil over a decade: assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination through interrupted time series analysis.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2024Article
- Is the surge in cesarean section rates during the COVID-19 pandemic truly substantiated?BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Mode of delivery and birth outcomes before and during COVID-19 -A population-based study in Ontario, Canada.PloS one · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Births, Vaginal Deliveries, Cesarian Sections, and Maternal Mortality in a Brazilian Metropolitan Area: A Time-Series Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2023Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on intrapartum care at public hospitals in the Sidama region, Ethiopia: A mixed-methods study.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on healthcare services is likely to affect birth outcomes including the delivery mode. However, recent evidence has been conflicting in this regard. The study aimed to assess changes to C-section rate during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.
methodsThis is a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of women delivered in the maternity department of hospitals in all provinces of Iran before the COVID-19 pandemic (February-August 30, 2019) and during the pandemic (February-August 30, 2020). Data were collected through the Iranian Maternal and Neonatal Network (IMAN), a country-wide electronic health record database management system for maternal and neonatal information. A total of 1,208,671 medical records were analyzed using the SPSS software version 22. The differences in C-section rates according to the studied variables were tested using the χ2 test. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors associated with C-section.
resultsA significant rise was observed in the rates of C-section during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic (52.9% vs 50.8%; p = .001). The rates for preeclampsia (3.0% vs 1.3%), gestational diabetes (6.1% vs 3.0%), preterm birth (11.6% vs 6.9%), IUGR (1.2% vs 0.4%), LBW (11.2% vs 7.8%), and low Apgar score at first minute (4.2% vs 3.2%) were higher in women who delivered by C-section compared to those with normal delivery (P = .001).
conclusionsThe overall C-section rate during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic was significantly higher than the pre-pandemic period. C-section was associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Thus, preventing the overuse of C-section especially during pandemic becomes an urgent need for maternal and neonatal health in Iran.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.