Birnur YEŞİLDAĞ, Semra KOCAÖZ, Deniz TURYAN
Türk Fen ve Sağlık Dergisi - 2026;7(2):98-105
Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the severity of abdominal distension (AD) after cesarean section in women and the factors affecting it. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2025 with 176 women who underwent cesarean section in Turkey. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", "Postoperative Information Form" and "Visual Analog Scale (VAS)". Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA test and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Conclusion: It is recommended that women should be provided with education and counseling to prevent the risk factors that increase the severity of AD starting from the gestational period, awareness of healthcare professionals should be increased in this regard, and patients should be closely monitored for distension after cesarean section. Results: The mean duration of first gas output, AD, and VAS severity of the participants after cesarean section were 16.0+/-6.65 hours, 4.67+/-0.90, and 4.42+/-0.87, respectively. According to multiple regression analysis, hemorrhoids and pain increased AD severity by 1.114 and 0.265 unit points, respectively. In contrast, coffee consumption was associated with a decrease in AD severity, as women who did not consume coffee had 0.558 points higher AD scores. Additionally, defecation once a day and 2-4 times per week in the last month of pregnancy decreased AD severity by 0.749 and 0.777 points, respectively.
