6-8 Week Scar Check: C-sectionUK Research Results
55% of the 459 women who responded to C-sectionUK's survey told us that a healthcare professional did NOT ask about their C-section scar at their 6-8 week check. While 45% reported that they were asked, the majority of women are leaving one of the only formal postpartum appointments without their scar - and everything it represents - being acknowledged.
Our monthly research initiative for C-section parents
Each month, C-sectionUK is asking our committed community of over 50,000 women about their experiences, in response to research often focusing on generalised birth experience or vaginal birth experience. Together, with the women in our C-sectionUK community, we’re committing in 2026 to researching key areas of this journey to understand what is happening in real terms for women.
We’re shining a light on the areas that are in need of improvement, and we’re hopeful that our professional colleagues in the birth space will benefit from these conversations to guide their teaching and policy development and care.
Each month on our C-sectionUK Instagram page we post a poll with a C-section birth research topic. Each poll has a yes/no answer format, which offers a clear definitive percentage for each answer.
Poll Results
459 women responded to our poll via a yes/no format to the question: “Did a healthcare professional ask about your c-section scar at YOUR 6-8 week check?”
▶ 45% answered Yes
▶ 55% answered No
So what does the research say?
The 6-8 week postnatal check is a critical opportunity to assess a woman's physical and emotional recovery following birth - and for women who have had a Csection, assessing the surgical wound is an explicit part of that. NICE guideline NG194 (2021) states that a GP should carry out a comprehensive assessment at 6-8 weeks, and clinical guidance is clear that an examination of the C-section wound should be offered where applicable. Professional guidance also advises that healthcare professionals should ask whether the c-section scar is healing well and note whether there is any associated pain.
This matters clinically. Scar-related complications - including infection, wound breakdown, chronic pain, and adhesions - can have long-term implications for a woman's physical health and future pregnancies. Early identification at the 6-8 week check allows for timely referral and appropriate support. When scar assessment is missed, women may be left unaware that what they are experiencing is not normal, or that help is available.
Beyond the clinical, there is a deeper dimension. For many women, the C-section scar carries significant emotional weight - it is the site of their baby's birth, and also the site of major surgery. Being asked about it is an act of acknowledgement. Not being asked can leave women feeling unseen in their own recovery.
CSUK Community Voices
Here’s what some of our C-sectionUK community had to say.
User @sapud
“"Yes but felt like a tick box question just before she told me to step on the scale and start getting back to my normal routine."
User @thebookishboymama
"I had to ask for them to check my cCsection scar at my check, to then be told 'I guess I can but I don't really need to'.”
User @regular_fry
“They don't do a 6 week check in my area."
Conclusion
These voices speak to a reality that goes beyond statistics. Even among the 45% of women who were asked, the quality of that question matters. A tick-box mention is not the same as genuine, individualised scar assessment - and for women who have to advocate for themselves only to be met with reluctance, the impact is significant.
Our findings show that scar assessment at the 6-8 week check is still something we need to loudly advocate for. These are not optional extras. Every woman who has had a C-section deserves to have her scar seen, assessed, and acknowledged.
If you would like support in understanding your scar or advocating for your postoperative care, the C-sectionUK community and resources are here for you. You do not have to navigate this alone.
Every C-section voice matters.
Next month (May)’s poll:
Next month we will be posting our fourth research poll in this series and we would love for our community to vote and share their experience with us to help shape our articles. April’s research poll will cover the question: “Did you breastfeed after your C-section birth?”
Have your say in next month’s poll! Head over to our Instagram or Facebook and let us know your thoughts on our research polls.
Your voice counts and helps other parents feel supported.
