Background & objectives: Cesarean section has important role in reducing mortality rate and complications of delivery in both mothers and fetus. However, high rate of cesarean section is a major issue in the modern obstetrics. According to the World Health Organization, the expected rate of cesarean section should be 10-15 percent in different countries. In Iran, cesarean rate is about 50-65 percent. Given the high prevalence of cesarean section, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cesarean and its causes in governmental obstetric hospitals of Kashan in 2014.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 5751 births in two obstetric centers of Kashan in 2014. Required information was obtained from the data recorded in the mentioned two delivery centers. Cesarean rates were obtained in relation to the total number of births in the two centers, and reasons for cesarean section were extracted from patient’s records and obtained information was entered in a checklist and the absolute and relative frequency was obtained. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics,  and independent t-test in SPSS-16.

Results: The results showed that 50.9% of deliveries were performed by caesarean section in the governmental delivery centers of Kashan. The highest rate of cesarean section was in the women of 25-29 years with 1-2 pregnancies. The major reasons for the cesarean sections were previous cesarean section (35.3%), fetal distress (14.8%), excretion of meconium (8.7%) and failure of normal labor progress (7.4%).

Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of cesarean in the city of Kashan, offering the strategies and interventions such as educational modules is suggested for pregnant women to reduce the incidence of cesarean delivery; also due to the high rate of repeated cesarean sections it is recommended for the policy makers and authorities to provide the essential facilities to increase vaginal birth even in women who have had prior cesarean section.