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. 2025 Oct 6;20(10):e0317262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317262

Perinatal outcome of vaginal breech delivery in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital, Eritrea, 2024; a case control study

Okbu Frezgi 1,*, Berhe Tesfai 1, Abraham Amanuel 1, Khalid Hussein 1, Hagos Teckle 2, Hailemichael Gebremariam 3, Andebrhan Tewelde 4
Editor: Mergan Naidoo5
PMCID: PMC12500088  PMID: 41052011

Abstract

Introduction

Delivery of fetus in breech presentation is a controversial topic in obstetrics and it had been the subject of debate since 1980s. As experts with abilities and know-how to perform vaginal breech delivery have decreased, and medico legal concerns increased, some physicians endorse cesarean section for breech presentation at term. The aim of this study was to identify the perinatal outcome in vaginal breech deliveries.

Methodology

This study was a retrospective case control study of mothers delivered vaginally between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023 in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital. Mothers who gave vaginal breech delivery (VBD) were enrolled as cases and two successive vertex vaginal deliveries (VVD) as controls.

Results

A total of 1919 patient records were analyzed, of which 641(33.6%) were cases and 1278 (66.4%) controls. The mean age and parity of the mothers was 28.98 (SD = 5.56) and 2.18 (SD = 1.96) respectively. History of previous stillbirth was documented in 0.4% and multiple pregnancies found in 10.2% of the study participants. The prevalence of stillbirth was 5% (1% in controls and 4% in cases). In multivariate analysis address from other zobas (AOR: 3.63, 95% CI: 2.17–6.09, p < 0.011), high gravidity (AOR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.18–2.22, p < 0.001), low birth weight (AOR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.42–2.90, p < 0.001), and multiple fetus (AOR: 4.83, 95% CI: 3.28–7.11, p < 0.001, were associated with risk of having vaginal breech delivery. Primiparity (AOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18–0.36 p < 0.001) and birth weight >3.4 kg (AOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.47–0.79, p < 0.001) were protective against having vaginal breech delivery. Vaginal breech deliveries was found to be associated low first minute Apgar (AOR: 14.95, 95% CI: 9.36–23.26, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Vaginal breech delivery was associated with low first minute Apgar. Address from others zobas, high gravidity, low birth weight, and multiple fetuses increases the risk of having Breech presentation, Vaginal breech delivery, Perinatal morbidity, Nulliparous vaginal breech delivery while primiparity and increasing birth weight were protective.

Introduction

Advancing pregnancy declines the incidence of singleton fetus’s breech presentation to around 3–4% [1]. The commonest cause of breech presentation is preterm delivery in which every fourth of all fetuses born extremely preterm are in breech presentation [2,3]. Previous breech presentation, uterine configuration abnormalities, abnormalities in placental location, multiparty, polyhydramnios, contracted pelvis, fetal anomalies, multiple gestation, short umbilical cord, and fetal growth restriction are also common causes of breech presentation [4,5]. Comparing to cephalic presentation, the outcomes for breech deliveries are worse, irrespective of the mode delivery [6].

Literature suggests that planned vaginal breech delivery (VBD) has higher perinatal complications, including intraventricular hemorrhage, seizures, low Apgar scores, brachial plexus injury, and neonatal death than planned caesarean section (CS) [7]. Neonatal mortality in breech presentation has continued to remain 3–5 times higher than that of cephalic presentation [8]. In two studies in Sub-Saharan countries, there was a strong association between vaginal breech delivery of singleton term pregnancies and feto-maternal morbidity, with newborns more likely to suffer from birth asphyxia [9]. Mothers with breech infants at term seek counseling regarding the safest delivery mode [10,11]. Counseling for term breech pregnancies often steers women towards CS and only addresses short-term risks to the baby [12].

Currently, the management of term breech presentation is the most controversial topics in obstetric and it has been the subject of debate since the 1980s [13]. In 2000, changes in clinical practice were introduced after a randomised multicentre collaborative study about how to deal with term breech delivery published by the authors of the Term Breech Trial Collaborative Group (TBT) and they concluded that elective CS offered better results than vaginal deliveries in full-term fetuses with breech presentation [14]. The authors of green top guideline suggest CS delivery for estimated fetal weight above 3.8 kg [15]. In Beijing China, breech presentations undergo CS, with the rate being as high as 90.68%, however, in Tibet, most breech presentations are still delivered vaginally [16].

According to Cunningham et al., if hydrocephaly is excluded, the head is flexed, the parietal diameter is less than 10 cm, a footling breech is ruled out, and the fetus is estimated to be of average weight, a VBD can be anticipated but certain proof that caesarean breech delivery improves neonatal outcome is lacking [17]. As number of practitioners with the skills and experience to perform vaginal breech delivery has decreased, there is a trend to perform caesarean delivery for term singleton fetuses in a breech presentation in developed world [18]. Obstetrician–gynecologists and other obstetric care providers should offer external cephalic version as an alternative to planned CS delivery for a woman who has a term singleton breech fetus [19]. In resources limited rural areas, a proper management plan before the onset of labour is often not achievable and local evidence based guidelines to recommend the most suitable delivery mode for every individual patient is warranted [20].

Determining the outcome of vaginal breech delivery is very crucial for deciding the mode of delivery for better perinatal and maternal outcomes. The general objective of this study was to identify the determinants of perinatal outcome of vaginal breech deliveries in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital.

Methodology

Study design

This was a retrospective case control study with medical records review of mothers delivered vaginally from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital. The data were accessed from 1st April –30th June and authors had accesses to individual participant’s information.

Study population and sampling method

All mothers who give birth vaginally during the study time were the study population. All VBD were considered as cases and two consecutive VVD were taken as controls.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Delivery registers with complete information were included and neonates with a birth weight of < 1 kg, gross congenital anomalies, and instrumental vaginal deliveries were excluded from the study.

Data collection and analysis

A specific data extraction tool was designed to retrieve data from the delivery register. Pilot study was conducted before starting the actual data extraction to ratify and modify the data collection tool to the context and objectives of the study. Data collection tool encompasses the socio-demographic characteristics of the patient (age, parity, gravidity, mode of delivery, year of delivery, and previous history of abortion or still birth) and the perinatal birth outcomes (sex, birth weight, 1st and fifth minute Apgar score, alive/stillbirth, referred to perinatal ICU).

Data was collected by physicians and the collected data were further checked for completeness and entered in MS excel with data cleaning and missed data was refilled by checking their register. Finally, the data was exported to SPSS version 26 for further analysis. The frequency and percent were determined and mean was calculated for continuous variables. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done to determine the association between the outcome and exposures of the variables and p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

Operational definitions

  • Abortion: Defined as a clinically recognized pregnancy loss before the 28th week of gestation.

  • Extreme prematurity: Delivery of fetus from 28–32 completed weeks.

Ethical considerations

Ethical approval was obtained from the Ministry of Health Research Approval and Ethical Committee (reference number 30/03/2023) and respected authorities were informed. Informed consent was not sought as this was a secondary data. The personal identifiers of patients were coded and analyzed as aggregates. Patients didn’t have any harm by using their data in this study.

Results

Socio-demographic characteristics and perinatal outcome of mothers delivered vaginally in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital

A total of 1919 patient records analyzed, of which 641(33.6%) were cases and 1278(66.4%) controls (Table 1). The mean age of the mothers was 28.98 (SD = 5.56) years of which 58% (25–35 years), 26% (<25 years), and 19% (>35 years). The mean parity was 2.18 (SD = 1.96) being distributed as 62.2% multiparous, 23.1% primiparous and 12.7% grandmultiparous. History of previous stillbirth was documented in 0.4%, one abortion in 14.6% and >1 abortion in 5.1%. Multiple pregnancy was found in 10.2% of the total deliveries and 0.2% had triplets. Majority of deliveries during a day take place from mid night to 8:00 am (35.5%) and the lowest from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (30.5%). According to the months of a year the lowest delivery rate was documented on August (5.9%) and the highest was on January and October (9.5%) (Fig 1). The rate of VBD progressively decreases from 27.5% in 2019 to 13.7% in 2023.

Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcome of mothers delivered vaginally from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 at Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital. (n = 1,919).

Variables Total deliveries
N (%)
Mode of delivery P Value
VVD N (%) VBD N (%)
Age
 16-19 51 (3) 39 12 <0.001
 20-34 1,513 (79) 1,053 460
 >34 355 (18) 186 169
Address
 Maekel 1,814 (95) 1,244 570 <0.001
 Other zobas 105 (5) 34 71
Gravida
 1-4 1,384 (72) 996 388 <0.001
 >4 535 (28) 282 253
Parity
 0 444 (23) 360 84 <0.001
 1-4 1,232 (64) 802 430
 >4 243 (13) 116 127
Abortion
 0 1,542 (80) 1,058 484 <0.001
 1 280 (15) 162 118
 >1 97 (5) 58 39
History of still birth
 No 1911 (99.6) 1,275 636 0.127
 Yes 8 (0.4) 3 5
Birth weight
 1-1.4 kg 46 (2) 12 34 <0.001
 1.5-2.4 kg 229 (12) 91 138
 2.5-3.4 kg 1,088 (57) 755 333
 >3.5 kg 556 (29) 420 136
Twin
 No 1,723 (90) 1,219 504 p < 0.001
Yes 196 (10) 59 137
APGAR 1st minute
 <7 381 (20) 87 294 <0.001
 >=7 1538 (80) 1,191 347
APGAR 5th minute
 <7 217 (11) 48 169 <0.001
 >=7 1,702 (89) 1,230 472
Sex
 Female 973 (51) 637 336 0.319
 Male 946 (49) 641 305
Alive or stillbirth
 Alive 1,822 (95) 1,259 563 <0.001
 Stillbirth 97 (5) 19 78
Refer to NICU
 No 1,748 (91) 1225 523 <0.001
 Yes 171 (9) 53 118

VVD, vaginal vertex delivery; VBD, vaginal breech delivery.

Fig 1. Distribution of the rate vaginal deliveries from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 at Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital (n = 1,919).

Fig 1

Perinatal outcome of mothers delivered vaginally from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 at Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital

The sex of the newborns was almost of 1:1 ratio. The mean birth weight of neonates was 3.08 kg, distributed as 57% (2.5–3.4 kg), 19% (≥ 3.5), 12% (1.5–2.4) and 2% (<1.5). The overall 1st minute Apgar was documented <7 in 20% of the neonates (cases 15.3% vs controls 4.5%) and 11% had < 7 Apgar at 5th minute (cases 8.8% vs controls 2.5%) which showed strong difference between cases and controls. Overall NICU admission was 9% (cases 6.14% vs controls 2.76%) with strong difference between cases and controls. The overall prevalence of stillbirth was 5% (1% in controls and 4% in cases) and vaginal breech delivery had a relationship with stillbirth (p-value <0.001).

Univariate analysis of socio-demographic characteristics and perinatal outcome of mothers delivered vaginally

Increasing maternal age (COR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.64–2.63, P < 0.001), address from other zobas (COR: 4.56, 95% CI: 1.87–2.83, P < 0.001) increasing gravidity (COR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.55–2.70, P < 0.001), low birth weight (COR: 3.44, 95% CI: 2.56–4.62, P < 0.001), and multiple fetuses (COR: 5.61, 95% CI: 4.07–7.75, P < 0.001) were associated with increased risk to have vaginal breech delivery. Besides increasing birth weight protects risk to have vaginal breech delivery (COR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58–0.93, P < 0.001). Vaginal breech delivery associated with Apgar of <7 first and fives minute (COR: 11.60, 95% CI: 8.89–15.15, p < 0.001) and (COR: 9.18, 95% CI: 6.55–12.86, P < p < 0.001) respectively. Furthermore, the univariate analysis had showed vaginal breech delivery was associated with increased risk of having stillbirth (COR 9.18, 95% CI 5.51–15.31, P < 0.001) and NICU admission (COR 5.21, 95% CI 3.71–7.33, P < 0.001) (Table 2).

Table 2. Univariate analysis of maternal demographic characteristics of mothers delivered vaginally from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 at Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital. (n = 1,919).

Variables Mode of delivery COR 95% CI P-value
VVD N (%) VBD N (%)
Age
 16-19 39 (76) 12 (24) 0.703 0.37-1.36 0.295
 20-34 (reference) 1,053 (70) 460 (30)
 >34 186 (52) 169 (48) 2.08 1.64-2.63 <0.001
Address (Zoba)
 Maekel 1,244 (64.82) 570 (29.7)
 Other Zobas 34 (1.8) 71 (3.7) 4.56 2.99–6.94 <0.001
Gravida
 1-4 996 (72) 388 (28)
 >4 282 (53) 253 (47) 2.03 1.87 - 2.83 <0.001
Parity
 0 360 (81) 84 (19) 0.44 0.33 - 0.57 <0.001
 1-4 (reference) 802 (65) 430 (35)
 >4 116 (48) 127 (52) 2.04 1.55 - 2.70 <0.001
Abortion
 0 1,058 (83) 484 (76)
 1 162 (13) 118 (18) 1.59 1.23 - 2.07 <0.001
 >1 58 (5) 39 (6) 1.47 0.97 - 2.24 0.072
Birth weight
 1-1.4 kg 12 (1) 34 (5) 6.42 3.29 - 12.56 <0.001
 1.5-2.4 kg 91 (7) 138 (22) 3.44 2.56 - 4.62 <0.001
 2.5-3.4 kg (reference) 755 (59) 333 (52)
 >3.4 kg 420 (33) 136 (21) 0.73 0.58 - 0.93 <0.001
Multiple fetus
 No 1,219 (63.5) 504 (26.26)
 Yes 59 (3.1) 137 (7.2) 5.61 4.069-7.753 <0.001
APGAR 1st minute
 >=7 1,191 (93) 347 (54)
 <7 87 (7) 294 (46) 11.60 8.89 - 15.15 <0.001
APGAR 5th minute
 >=7 1,230 (96) 472 (74)
 <7 48 (4) 169 (26) 9.18 6.55 - 12.86 <0.001
Sex
 Female 637 (50) 336 (52)
 Male 641 (50) 305 (48) 0.90 0.75 - 1.09 0.287
Alive or stillbirth
 Alive 1,259 (99) 563 (88)
 Stillbirth 19 (1) 78 (12) 9.18 5.51 - 15.31 <0.001
Refer to NICU
 No 1225 (96) 523 (82)
 Yes 53 (4) 118 (18) 5.21 3.71 - 7.33 <0.001

VVD, vaginal vertex delivery; VBD, vaginal breech delivery.

Multivariate analysis of sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcome of mothers delivered vaginally

In multivariate analysis address from other zoba (AOR: 3.63, 95% CI: 2.17–6.09, p < 0.001), high gravidity (AOR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.18–2.22, p < 0.001), low birth weight (AOR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.42–2.90, p < 0.001), and multiple fetuses (AOR: 4.83, 95% CI: 3.28–7.11, p < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of having VBD. Primiparity (AOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18–0.36, p < 0.001) and birth weight > 3.4 kg (AOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.47–0.79, p < 0.001) were protective against having VBD. Besides, multivariate analysis showed, vaginal breech delivery was associated with increased risk of having low first minute Apgar (AOR: 14.95, 95% CI: 9.47–23.58, p < 0.001) (Table 3).

Table 3. Multivariate analysis of vaginal breech delivery and perinatal outcome on mothers delivered vaginally from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023 at Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital.

Variables Mode of delivery AOR 95% CI P-value
VVD N (%) VBD N (%)
Age
 16-19 39 (76) 12 (24) 1.72 0.76 - 3.89 0.19
 20-34 (reference) 1,053 (70) 460 (30)
 >34 186 (52) 169 (48) 1.28 0.94 - 1.75 0.119
Address (Zoba)
 Maekel 1,244 (64.82) 570 (29.7)
 Other Zobas 34 (1.8) 71 (3.7) 3.63 2.17–6.09 <0.001
Gravida
 1-4 996 (72) 388 (28)
 >4 282 (53) 253 (47) 1.62 1.18 - 2.22 0.003
Parity
 0 360 (81) 84 (19) 0.25 0.18 - 0.36 <0.001
 1-4 (reference) 802 (65) 430 (35)
 >4 116 (48) 127 (52) 1.27 0.85 - 1.90 0.237
Birth weight
 1-1.4 kg 12 (1) 34 (5) 1.61 0.72 - 3.62 0.244
 1.5-2.4 kg 91 (7) 138 (22) 2.03 1.42 - 2.90 <0.001
 2.5-3.4 kg (reference) 755 (59) 333 (52)
 >3.4 kg 420 (33) 136 (21) 0.61 0.47 - 0.79 <0.001
Multiple Fetus
 No 1,219 (63.5) 504 (26.26)
 Yes 59 (3.1) 137 (7.2) 4.83 3.28–7.11 <0.001
APGAR 1st minute
 >=7 1,191 (93) 347 (54)
 <7 87 (7) 294 (46) 14.75 9.36 - 23.26 p < 0.001
APGAR 5th minute
 >=7 1,230 (96) 472 (74)
 <7 48 (4) 169 (26) 0.81 0.43 - 1.52 0.516
Alive or stillbirth
 Alive 1,259 (99) 563 (88)
 Stillbirth 19 (1) 78 (12) 1.26 0.56 - 2.84 0.575
Refer to NICU
 No 1225 (96) 523 (82)
 Yes 53 (4) 118 (18) 0.86 0.50 - 1.47 0.588

VVD, vaginal vertex delivery; VBD, vaginal breech delivery.

Discussion

Appropriate route of delivery for fetuses on breech presentation has become a challenging issue in the last two decades. Based on results of several studies, personal experiences, and medico legal concerns, led some physicians to recommend CS delivery for breech presentation [4,10]. This study was designed to test this common clinical scenario and take a more detailed look at the safety and success of vaginal breech deliveries in resources limited setting. In this study the VBD progressively decline from 2019 during which time a residence program was reinstitute in the hospital and possibly this could be a reason for the declining rate of VBD. The study setting was in zoba maekel and the reason for the higher odds of having VBD in women’s from others zoba was due to referral related intrapartum related complication.

Perinatal mortality in breech presentation has continued to remain 3–5 times higher than that of cephalic presentation [8]. Similarly, in our study VBD was associated with high rate of stillbirth compared to vertex vaginal deliveries (VVD 1%, vs VBD 4%). A study conducted by Kemfang Ngowa et. al in Cameroon also reported a significant perinatal mortality for breech deliveries [21]. Contrarily, a study conducted in France and Belgium stated that when strict criteria are met before and during labor, planned vaginal delivery of singleton fetuses in breech presentation at term remains a safe option that can be offered to women [22]. The difference between low-and middle income countries and high income countries in the perinatal outcome probably related to the difference in the service being given during antenatal and intrapartum care. In low resources setting the absence of well-defined selection criteria for VBD and relatively poorer experience of vaginal breech deliveries might probably increase the adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Increasing maternal age and multi-parity were found to be associated with increased VBD and better perinatal outcomes comparing to counterparts in bivariate analysis. A study conducted by U. Kielland-Kaisen et al stated that, perinatal morbidity and mortality was not significantly different in deliveries of nulliparous compared to multiparous [23]. In our study small number of nulliparous women tend to have VBD and this could be due to the direct CS delivery breech presentation incorporated in the local guideline. This guideline was adopted based on clinical experience of senior obstetricians in the association of poor perinatal outcome and VBD in nulliparous. Mothers with breech presentation should be identified during antenatal care, and mode of delivery should be planned after trial of external cephalic version if indicated and final decision should be based on attitude of the fetus, pelvic adequacy, and estimated fetal weight.

This study revealed that, low birth weight was found to be risk factor for VBD while birth weight of > 3.4 kg was protective which was consistent with other study conducted in another similar setting [15]. Higher NICU admission was also documented in our report, likewise to a study conducted by Hashim M et al in Sudan which showed low 5-min Apgar scores, and admission to the neonatal care unit [24]. A study done by Qaiser Javed Iqbal et al also reported poor Apgar score and higher NICU admission of vaginally delivered neonates [25]. Our study found a significant low 1st min Apgar in VBD similar to study conducted in 2017 which stated that, comparing babies born of VVD and counterparts (VBD group) were more likely to have fetal distress and about fivefold as likely to suffer from birth asphyxia [21]. After coming head entrapment, cord accidents, and lack of experienced health workers in breech deliveries could be the main reasons that predisposed breech fetuses to an increased risk of lower Apgar in the first and fifth minutes.

This study wasn’t without limitations. Being retrospective in nature, difficulty in determining timing of stillbirth, identification of fetal status during admission, and documentation of only gross congenital anomalies might influence the results of this study. The sample size was not calculated as new updated data recording system was introduced in 2019. But this option provided us a chance to involve more participants in the study rather than the sample size without much incurring us extra cost.

Conclusion

Vaginal breech delivery was associated with low first minute Apgar. Address from others zobas, grandmultiparity, low birth weight, and multiple fetus’s increases risk of having vaginal breech delivery while primiparity and increasing birth weight were protective.

Supporting information

S1 Checklist. PLOS One human subjects research checklist.

(PDF)

pone.0317262.s001.pdf (317.9KB, pdf)

Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge the Orotta Hospital Maternity staff for their cooperation in the data collection process

Abbreviations

AOR

Adjusted Odds Ratio

ANC

Antenatal Care

CS

Caesarean section

CI

Confidence Interval

COR

Crude Odds Ratio

IUFD

Intra Uterine Fetal Death

IUGR

Intra Uterine Growth Restriction

SD

Standard deviation

WHO

World Health Organization

VBD

Vaginal breech delivery

VVD

Vaginal vertex delivery.

Data Availability

All necessary documents are included with the manuscript.

Funding Statement

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Decision Letter 0

Mergan Naidoo

18 Mar 2025

Dear Dr. Frezgi,

There are some major methodological flaws identified by one of the reviewers that needs to be addressed before we can consider this manuscript for publication. Please address the concerns on the way the data was analysed. 

Please submit your revised manuscript by May 02 2025 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

  • A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.

  • A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.

  • An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

If you would like to make changes to your financial disclosure, please include your updated statement in your cover letter. Guidelines for resubmitting your figure files are available below the reviewer comments at the end of this letter.

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Mergan Naidoo, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

1. When submitting your revision, we need you to address these additional requirements.-->--> -->-->Please ensure that your manuscript meets PLOS ONE's style requirements, including those for file naming. The PLOS ONE style templates can be found at -->-->https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=wjVg/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_main_body.pdf and -->-->https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=ba62/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_title_authors_affiliations.pdf-->--> -->-->2. When completing the data availability statement of the submission form, you indicated that you will make your data available on acceptance. We strongly recommend all authors decide on a data sharing plan before acceptance, as the process can be lengthy and hold up publication timelines. Please note that, though access restrictions are acceptable now, your entire data will need to be made freely accessible if your manuscript is accepted for publication. This policy applies to all data except where public deposition would breach compliance with the protocol approved by your research ethics board. If you are unable to adhere to our open data policy, please kindly revise your statement to explain your reasoning and we will seek the editor's input on an exemption. Please be assured that, once you have provided your new statement, the assessment of your exemption will not hold up the peer review process.-->--> -->-->3. Please amend either the abstract on the online submission form (via Edit Submission) or the abstract in the manuscript so that they are identical.-->?>

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

Reviewer #1:  Thank you for the opportunity to review the submission, and for conducting this important piece of research.

I think this article needs lots of work prior to meeting PLoS publication criteria.

Scientific method

- Research question is not clearly answered

- A couple of results mentioned in Discussion [200-1] do not Appear in Results

English language

- Use of perinatal vs. neonatal

- uniformity of CD vs. CS

- provide definitions of abbreviations (COR, AOR)

- what is VCD [100]

- univariable vs. univariate

- provide definitions of abortion and extremely premature

- risk vs. likelihood

Statistics

- Difficult to interpret in places (especially multivariate analyses - unclear what is being isolated to highlight effect of exposure of interest)

- No sample size calculation

- Unclear why 1:2 ratio of case:control

- Median is mentioned (how is it relevant)

- Mean should be presented with SD

- it may have been better to exclude multiple pregnancies

Ethics

- I think the ethics statement in the proforma should refer to the approval by the Research Ethics committee

Obtetric issues

- Unclear if maternal morbidity referred to in [64] is immediate vs. long-term. Also unclear what the nature of maternal morbidity related to VBD is

- What is your reason for using the birth strata you used

- Can you comment on the significance of the decrease in VBD over the study period, and the potential reason?

Citations

- Many listed as invalid

Limitations

- I feel there are more than are mentioned

Reviewer #2:  Thank you for an interesting study.

The results need to be noted.

What I missed it the fact whether the breech deliveries ("cases") had a foetal heart on admission in labour or not. i.e. Were all fresh stillbirths. That should be confirmed and discussed at the relevant positions.

In the discussion I also missed the argument that the increased rate of stillbirth may be related to the relatively poor experience of vaginal breech deliveries of the current clinicians?

**********

what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: Yes:  Adam Konrad Asghar

Reviewer #2: No

**********

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org . Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

PLoS One. 2025 Oct 6;20(10):e0317262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317262.r002

Author response to Decision Letter 1


24 Apr 2025

Thank you for your interesting comments really helped us to reshape our article.

Attachment

Submitted filename: Authors respones final.docx

pone.0317262.s003.docx (17.1KB, docx)

Decision Letter 1

Mergan Naidoo

5 Jun 2025

Dear Dr. Frezgi,

Thank you for submitting your revised manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Jul 20 2025 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

  • A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.

  • A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.

  • An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Mergan Naidoo, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

**********

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

Reviewer #1: Thank you for a detailed rebuttal.

I would suggest minor revisions as follows:

1. See lines 85/86. As previously suggested, use perinatal OR neonatal. Title now says Perinatal, but neonatal is used twice in these lines.

2. Choose either multivariable or multivariate https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3518362/

3. Suggest listing a lack of a sample size calculation as a limitation. Same with decision to use 1:2 case:control. Your argument makes logical sense, but we are not sure if it makes statistical sense.

4. Median is still mentioned (line 110)

**********

what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: Yes:  Adam Konrad Asghar

**********

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org

PLoS One. 2025 Oct 6;20(10):e0317262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317262.r004

Author response to Decision Letter 2


16 Jul 2025

Reviewers comments Authors response

Reviewer #1

1. See lines 85/86. As previously suggested, use perinatal OR neonatal. Title now says Perinatal, but neonatal is used twice in these lines. Thank you. Arrangements have being made.

2. Choose either multivariable or multivariate https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3518362/

Thank you. Arrangements have being made.

3. Suggest listing a lack of a sample size calculation as a limitation. Same with decision to use 1:2 case: control. Your argument makes logical sense, but we are not sure if it makes statistical sense. Added in limitation part with explanation.

But, the choice of 1:2 ratio of cases to controls was based on the idea that it was easy to recruit cases and controls with no extra cost, and the outcome was considered more common event. For this reason we didn’t add in limitation part.

4. Median is still mentioned (line 110)

Arrangements have being made.

Attachment

Submitted filename: Authors respones final 16-07-25.docx

pone.0317262.s004.docx (14.2KB, docx)

Decision Letter 2

Mergan Naidoo

29 Jul 2025

Dear Dr. Frezgi,

1. See lines 85/86. As previously suggested, use perinatal OR neonatal. Title now says Perinatal, but neonatal is used twice in these lines.

2. Choose either multivariable or multivariate https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3518362/

3. Suggest listing a lack of a sample size calculation as a limitation. Same with decision to use 1:2 case:control. Your argument makes logical sense, but we are not sure if it makes statistical sense.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Sep 12 2025 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

  • A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.

  • A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.

  • An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Mergan Naidoo, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

If the reviewer comments include a recommendation to cite specific previously published works, please review and evaluate these publications to determine whether they are relevant and should be cited. There is no requirement to cite these works unless the editor has indicated otherwise. 

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org . Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

PLoS One. 2025 Oct 6;20(10):e0317262. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317262.r006

Author response to Decision Letter 3


26 Aug 2025

Reviewers comments Authors response

Reviewer #1

1. See lines 85/86. As previously suggested, use perinatal OR neonatal. Title now says Perinatal, but neonatal is used twice in these lines. Thank you. Change have being made.

2. Choose either multivariable or multivariate https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3518362/

Thank you. Arrangements have being made.

3. Suggest listing a lack of a sample size calculation as a limitation. Same with decision to use 1:2 case: control. Your argument makes logical sense, but we are not sure if it makes statistical sense. Added in limitation part with explanation.

But, the choice of 1:2 ratio of cases to controls was based on the idea that it was easy to recruit cases and controls with no extra cost, and the outcome was considered more common event. For this reason we didn’t add in limitation part.

4. Median is still mentioned (line 110)

Change have being made.

Attachment

Submitted filename: Authors respones final 15-08-25.docx

pone.0317262.s005.docx (14.3KB, docx)

Decision Letter 3

Mergan Naidoo

10 Sep 2025

Perinatal Outcome of Vaginal Breech Delivery in Orotta National Referral Teaching Hospital, Eritrea, 2024; a Case Control Study.

PONE-D-24-59072R3

Dear Dr. Okbu Frezgi

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. Please make sure your user information is up-to-date by logging into Editorial Manager at Editorial Manager®  and clicking the ‘Update My Information' link at the top of the page. For questions related to billing, please contact billing support .

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

Mergan Naidoo, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Acceptance letter

Mergan Naidoo

PONE-D-24-59072R3

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Frezgi,

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now being handed over to our production team.

At this stage, our production department will prepare your paper for publication. This includes ensuring the following:

* All references, tables, and figures are properly cited

* All relevant supporting information is included in the manuscript submission,

* There are no issues that prevent the paper from being properly typeset

You will receive further instructions from the production team, including instructions on how to review your proof when it is ready. Please keep in mind that we are working through a large volume of accepted articles, so please give us a few days to review your paper and let you know the next and final steps.

Lastly, if your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

You will receive an invoice from PLOS for your publication fee after your manuscript has reached the completed accept phase. If you receive an email requesting payment before acceptance or for any other service, this may be a phishing scheme. Learn how to identify phishing emails and protect your accounts at https://explore.plos.org/phishing.

If we can help with anything else, please email us at customercare@plos.org.

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

Kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Professor Mergan Naidoo

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Checklist. PLOS One human subjects research checklist.

    (PDF)

    pone.0317262.s001.pdf (317.9KB, pdf)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Authors respones final.docx

    pone.0317262.s003.docx (17.1KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Authors respones final 16-07-25.docx

    pone.0317262.s004.docx (14.2KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Authors respones final 15-08-25.docx

    pone.0317262.s005.docx (14.3KB, docx)

    Data Availability Statement

    All necessary documents are included with the manuscript.


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