Background: Cesarean section rates in the United States have remained high for the past decade, yet many women receiving them are unaware of the potential risks involved.

Methods: In Listening to Mothers III, a national survey of 2400 mothers, respondents indicated the value of various information sources and were asked to evaluate two statements regarding risks associated with cesareans. Chi-square and multivariate regressions were used for analysis.

Results: Childbirth education classes were the only source of information that was significantly associated with better risk knowledge. There were no significant differences in cesarean risk knowledge among women who found their providers or pregnancy websites to be a valuable source of information as compared to those who did not. There were no significant differences in cesarean risk knowledge by delivery method in women with no prior cesareans. Women who had experienced at least one cesarean birth had significantly lower odds of correctly identifying respiratory risks associated with cesareans, compared to those who never had a cesarean (adjusted OR = .300, 95% CI = (0.12, 0.74)). Women whose most recent birth was cesarean were more likely to incorrectly identify placenta risks, as compared to women who most recently gave birth vaginally (adjusted RR=1.56, p<0.01).

Conclusion: While women generally found value in a range of information sources, their perceived value did not correlate to better risk knowledge. Additionally, women with experiences of cesareans were not better informed of the risks as compared to women who gave birth vaginally.