Introduction: Cesarean section is the most common surgery among women. According to ‎World Health Organization, the rate of cesarean section in each area should not exceed ‎‏10‏‎ –‎‏15‏‎ ‎percent. In our country, one of the targets in maternal health program is reducing the rate of ‎unnecessary cesarean delivery to ‎‏25‏‎ percent by ‎‏2015‏‎.‎

Objective: This study was designed to determine the causes recorded by the physician to ‎perform a cesarean section in an educational - care center in Rasht/Iran.‎

Methods: In this descriptive study, we used a questionnaire based on the particular research ‎setting to collect the necessary data according to physicians’written statements from ‎‏600‏‎ cases ‎via a simple random sampling in a referral educational health care center specialist in obstetrics ‎and gynecology in Rasht. Data were analyzed by using statistical software and descriptive ‎statistics.

‎ Results:‎‏ ‏The highest frequency of cesarean section was in the age group ‎‏20-29‏‎ years. ‎‏83‏‎ ‎percent of mothers had their first or second pregnancy. In this educational center ‎‏63.38‏‎ ‎percent of deliveries were performed by Caesarean during ‎‏2004‏‎ and ‎‏2005‏‎. The most common ‎causes recorded by the physician to perform a cesarean section were respectively fetal distress ‎‎(‎‏42.7%‏‎),‎‏ ‏repeated cesarean section(‎‏20.3%‏‎),‎‏ ‏cephalopelvic disproportion(‎‏10.7%‏‎), meconium ‎stained (‎‏8.2‏‎%),‎‏ ‏breech presentation(‎‏7.5%‏‎),‎‏ ‏placenta previa(‎‏1.8%‏‎)‎‏ ‏and lack of progress in ‎labor(‎‏1.8%‏‎).‎

 Conclusion: The findings of this study‏ ‏showed that the frequency of cesarean section in this ‎center in ‎‏2004‏‎ and ‎‏2005‏‎ was high compared with the standards. It seems that the study of ‎causes of cesarean and its results may help the authorities to plan some strategies on behalf of ‎reducing the number of unnecessary cesarean birth.‎