Planned Cesarean Section as a Prevention of Birth Trauma and an Effort to Preserve Pelvic Floor Health: Is It Justified?
A planned cesarean section is an option increasingly chosen by women to prevent birth injuries and maintain pelvic floor health. But should we undergo a major abdominal surgery just for "preventive reasons"? And does a cesarean section really guarantee long-term pelvic floor health?
These important questions are increasingly the subject of discussions among professionals, including doctors, physiotherapists, and other healthcare providers. It appears that this topic is directly related to natural biological mechanisms—if women "forget" how to give birth vaginally, we risk facing an evolutionary disaster.
Why opt for surgery and extensive scars for healthy women when they can give birth naturally?
April is Cesarean Awareness Month, and it’s worth remembering that a cesarean section is not a trivial procedure. It is a major surgery that carries risks of complications for both the mother and the baby. It should only be indicated in justified cases where the health of the mother or child is at risk—not as a preventive measure out of fear of birth trauma and its consequences. In short, not "on demand."
A cesarean section results in the trauma of many tissues, heals with scars, disrupts the coordination of abdominal muscles, and significantly contributes to the development of pelvic floor dysfunctions (including prolapse or painful vertebrogenic problems) and mental health issues in the long term.
We often receive inquiries about whether a woman can give birth vaginally after having a cesarean section for the first birth. If she is healthy and there are no medical reasons preventing her from a natural birth, then definitely yes.
For healthy women with quality prenatal preparation and well-managed vaginal deliveries, there is no reason to fear a permanent pelvic floor disorder.
Natural birth offers numerous benefits for the baby, not only in preventing allergies, obesity, and other metabolic diseases (such as celiac disease, diabetes, etc.), but also for the development of immunity and healthy psychology—perhaps we’ll discuss that another time.
If you undergo a cesarean section, be kind to yourself and your body. Provide care not only for what is visible after the surgery—the scar—but also for what may not be immediately apparent yet significantly affects your quality of life after childbirth—the pelvic floor. Primarily, professionally designed physiotherapy, targeted and regular care, as well as walks, contribute to the healthy function of the pelvic floor.
