Objective(s): To assess the cesarean rate and related factors in maternity hospitals in Tehran.
Material & Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using data from 824 pregnant women via a two• step random sampling. A standardised form was completed for each mother, collecting past and present obstetric history and demographic characteristics.
Results: 66.5% of mothers delivered by cesarean section & 33.5% vaginaly. 72% of cesareans were elective. Of these 22% were done because of maternal request and 71 % of mothers who requested cesarean had no logic reason for their request. Also 65% of doctors suggested cesaran for their patients without any true medical indications. The majority of cesarean sections were performed in private hospitals (84% in private vs. 47% in public hospitals (P<0.0001).
Conclusion:  The results show significant variability among hospitals when opting for cesarean section. Also, the results indicate that, cesarean section is widely performed for non-medical reasons.