Comment: The birth of a child is an extremely stressful time period for the mother. Not only is there the fear of pain and the anxiety of the unknown but also there is the excitement and the joy of the anticipated arrival. This stress may be further enhanced with the knowledge that a cesarean delivery must be performed. Each parturient reacts differently. Thorp et al. examined personality traits as a predictor of anxiety before cesarean section under regional anesthesia and determined whether this anxiety is a predictable entity.Some findings were not surprising. Anxious mothers tended to have higher anxiety scores pre-and intraoperatively. However, a previous cesarean section does not reduce a patient's level of anxiety. These women are equally as anxious as those parturients undergoing their first cesarean delivery. As such, women requiring a repeat cesarean section require the same support as those undergoing their first. Furthermore, a confounding variable in this study would be the fact that it is a study. Despite its noninvasiveness, the mention of studies and informed consent will heighten a patient's preoperative anxiety.Finally, the preoperative interview needs to be stressed. It has been shown that a carefully conducted preoperative visit reduces anxiety better than preoperative medication. It is this human factor that is important and will ultimately reduce a patient's anxiety.