Cesarean Section in Spanish

What it means

A cesarean section is the delivery of a baby through an incision (cut) made in a person's abdomen and uterus. The National Cancer Institute's dictionary says it is also called C-section and cesarean delivery. MedlinePlus writes "a cesarean delivery, also called a cesarean section or c-section" and describes it as surgery to deliver a baby. Some cesarean deliveries are planned; others are emergency cesarean deliveries, done when unexpected problems happen during delivery. Before the surgery, pain medicine is given, which might be an epidural block, a spinal block, or general anesthesia. The surgeon closes the uterus and abdomen with stitches. MedlinePlus calls a cesarean delivery relatively safe but still a major surgery that carries risks, and says it takes longer to recover from than a vaginal birth.

Cesarean Section in Spanish

Spanish term: Cesárea
Gender and article: feminine: la cesárea
Pronunciation: seh-SAH-reh-ah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
parto por cesárea	General	MedlinePlus en español lists it as another name on its Cesárea page, and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary says the procedure is also called this.
operación cesárea	General	Fuller form that the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives as another name; the RAE dictionary also lists it under the entry cesáreo, a.

The Real Academia Española dictionary files the word under the adjective cesáreo, a and gives the feminine noun cesárea its own sense: a surgical operation done by opening the womb to take out the baby. It is feminine, la cesárea, plural las cesáreas, and the written accent falls on the á. The entry explains that the feminine form comes from the scientific Latin sectio caesarea, because of the tradition that Julius Caesar was born this way, and it lists the compound operación cesárea.

The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary says the procedure is also called operación cesárea and parto por cesárea, and MedlinePlus en español gives parto por cesárea as another name on its page titled Cesárea. Terms that MedlinePlus en español prints alongside the word include cesáreas de emergencia (emergency cesarean deliveries), parto vaginal después de una cesárea, shortened to PVDC, bloqueo epidural (epidural block), anestesia general (general anesthesia) and incisión (the cut).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Have you had a cesarean section before?	¿Ha tenido una cesárea antes?
Patient	Yes, my first baby was born by cesarean section three years ago.	Sí, mi primer bebé nació por cesárea hace tres años.
Patient	Why might I need a cesarean section this time?	¿Por qué podría necesitar una cesárea esta vez?
Clinician	The baby is in the wrong position, so we are planning a cesarean section.	El bebé está en la posición incorrecta, así que estamos planificando una cesárea.
Patient	Will I get general anesthesia or an epidural block?	¿Me van a poner anestesia general o un bloqueo epidural?
Clinician	The cut is usually horizontal, and we close it with stitches.	El corte suele ser horizontal y lo cerramos con puntos.
Patient	How long does it take to recover from a cesarean section?	¿Cuánto tiempo toma recuperarse de una cesárea?
Patient	Can I have a vaginal birth after a cesarean section?	¿Puedo tener un parto vaginal después de una cesárea?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Cesarean Section
Spanish (Español)	Cesárea
Chinese (中文)	剖腹產
Korean (한국어)	제왕절개
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Sinh mổ
Filipino (Tagalog)	Cesarean section
Portuguese (Português)	Cesariana
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การผ่าตัดคลอด
Japanese (日本語)	帝王切開

Where you'll see it

operative reportsurgical consent formEOBbilldischarge summarychart

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.