As early as 700 AD, ancient Rome had laws regarding cesarean delivery. At that time, the procedure was performed only on women who had died late in pregnancy: the fetus was surgically removed before the mother could be buried. This is regarded as the earliest recorded form of cesarean section in the world.
It was not until 1610 that the first cesarean section on a living woman was performed abroad. Limited by medical instruments and technology, surgeons at that time only incised the abdominal wall and uterus to deliver the baby, without suturing the uterine incision. As a result, most women died of hemorrhage or infection, with a survival rate of less than 50%.
In 1876, some surgeons began to remove the entire uterus after delivering the fetus to prevent fatal bleeding or severe infection. This greatly improved maternal survival, but left women permanently unable to conceive again.
A major milestone came in 1882, when surgeons made a vertical incision on the anterior uterine wall, delivered the fetus, and then sutured the uterine wound. This allowed women to become pregnant and give birth again, marking a turning point in the history of cesarean section.
Starting in the 1970s, the low transverse cesarean section (incision across the lower uterine segment) became widely adopted. This technique offers many advantages: less bleeding, easier suturing, lower risk of postoperative adhesions, and stronger scar healing. It remains the most commonly used cesarean technique worldwide today.