Evidence Library · Afterward

Why it matters long after the operation

Pain during a cesarean is linked to post-traumatic stress. How it was answered matters as much as that it happened.

Experiencing pain during a cesarean is associated with childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder. That association is the reason this stopped being treated as a minor complaint about comfort.

What makes the difference is not only whether the pain happened but how it was met. The anesthesia society's own statement warns that dismissal or delayed management of pain may increase the risk of psychological sequelae. Being believed early changes the aftermath.

In a study of 403 women asked directly about their anesthetic care, 78.2% were very satisfied. Pain during the cesarean was one of the factors that separated the women who were satisfied from those who were not.

If this happened to youAsk for the anesthesia record and the operative report. Ask for someone to go through them with you. If your report of pain is not in the record, you can ask in writing for your own account to be added.

Where this comes from:

63. Landau R. Breakthrough pain during cesarean delivery. Anesthesiol Clin. 2026;44(3):453-476. doi:10.1016/j.anclin.2026.02.017

42. American Society of Anesthesiologists, Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia. Statement on pain during cesarean delivery. Approved October 18, 2023.

69. Sanchez J, Prabhu R, Guglielminotti J, Landau R. Racial and ethnic concordance between the patient and anesthesia team and patients' satisfaction with pain management during cesarean delivery. Anesth Analg. 2024;139(5):921-930. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006764

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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you.