Urogynecologists More Likely to Have a C-Section.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Doctors who have seen what vaginal birth can do to the pelvic floor are more likely than other physicians to choose cesarean delivery for themselves or their partner, study results suggest.

"These physicians are more familiar with the effects that vaginal delivery can have on the pelvic floor. They care for women with pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence, and so they're more aware of these problems than people who don't care for these patients," said Dr. Stephanie Powell, a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

In a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society, Dr. Powell outlined a survey that she mailed to three groups of physicians: members of the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) and the Urodynamics Society (URODYN); members of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology who were not involved with AUGS or URODYN; and members of the American Academy of Family Physicians.