MedWire News: Women who give birth by caesarean section are more likely to suffer a stroke within a year of delivery than those who give birth naturally, study results show.

However, the researchers stress that the overall risk of stroke among women who undergo caesarean section is low.

Previous studies have suggested that women who give birth via caesarean section may have a greater risk of stroke than those who give birth vaginally, explain Dr Herng-Ching Lin, from Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, and colleagues.

But they add that few large-scale studies have investigated the risk of stroke associated with the two modes of delivery.

To address this, the researchers studied the medical records of more than 987,000 Taiwanese women who gave birth 1998 and 2002.

Analysis revealed that, within the first 3 months following delivery, women who gave birth by caesarean section were 67% more likely to suffer a stroke than those who gave birth vaginally.

In women who gave birth by caesarean section, the risk of stroke was still 61% greater after 6 months and 49% greater after 1 year than in those who gave birth vaginally.

The risk of stroke was even higher among women with pre-eclampsia who gave birth by caesarean section.

Writing in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr Lin and team conclude: "Based on the findings of this large-scale nationwide study, we conclude that caesarean section delivery is an independent risk factor for stroke."

However, they continue: "Although the risk of postpartum stroke increased with caesarean delivery when compared with vaginal delivery, the absolute risk of postpartum stroke remains low."