Study finds that Cesarean delivery lowers risk.(of urinary incontinence)

2003 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women who have cesarean sections rather than vaginal deliveries run a significantly lower risk of incontinence later in life, a study found.

The difference alone is not reason enough to opt for a C-section, the researchers cautioned.

"The prevention method here is so drastic - it's surgery with medical and economic costs," said Dr. Guri Rortveit of the University of Bergen in Norway.

Vaginal birth has long been considered a cause of urinary incontinence because of damage to muscles and nerves during labor and delivery. The role of a cesarean birth was less clear.

In the study of 15,307 Norwegian women, the researchers found that about 21% of those who had vaginal deliveries were incontinent, compared with about 16% of those who had cesareans. The rate was 10% for childless women.

Moderate or severe leakage of urine was twice as likely after vaginal delivery than after C-section, according to the findings, reported in the March 7, 2003 New England Journal of Medicine.

The risk of incontinence is just one factor women contemplating an elective cesarean should consider, said Dr. Howard Minkoff of New York's Maimonides Medical Center. Minkoff is the coauthor of another article in the journal that reviews the pros and cons of an elective cesarean and encourages doctors to discuss them with patients who ask.