In This Article
Subscribe to Health Updates
More Women Worldwide Having Caesarians Unnecessarily
July 14, 2008 09:01 AM
Caesarian-sections deliveries are increasing at an alarming rate, especially in developing countries where medical technology is improving.
30-Second Summary
Caesarian sections, or C-sections, accounted for 40.5 percent of births in China in 2000, ahead of Mexico at 39.1 percent, according to the most recent statistics available from the World Health Organization (WHO). Government figures show the rate was 31.1 percent in the United States in 2006.
Brazil, however, is topping the charts. Recent government numbers show that Caesarians were performed in 44 percent of all births there in 2006.
But with WHO recommending that Caesarean sections are necessary in 15 percent of live births, at most, why are so many procedures being performed?
Some experts believe doctors aren’t prepared for irregularities in vaginal births, and switch to C-sections when anything unexpected happens. “We need to train doctors so they know how to act in any emergency and not just switch to Caesareans,” says Adson Franca, who heads the Brazilian Health Ministry’s campaign against birth mortalities.
Others believe doctors are putting the convenience and profit of C-sections over women’s health. And some women are reportedly asking for the surgery themselves, due to fear of the pain of vaginal childbirth, especially in places like Brazil, where the operation has become ingrained in the culture.
Doctors worried about the trend are speaking out. “We need to be sure that C-sections are not driven by convenience, that interventions are medically indicated and that the safety of a woman and her baby are the driving factors in these decisions,” said Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.
Brazil, however, is topping the charts. Recent government numbers show that Caesarians were performed in 44 percent of all births there in 2006.
But with WHO recommending that Caesarean sections are necessary in 15 percent of live births, at most, why are so many procedures being performed?
Some experts believe doctors aren’t prepared for irregularities in vaginal births, and switch to C-sections when anything unexpected happens. “We need to train doctors so they know how to act in any emergency and not just switch to Caesareans,” says Adson Franca, who heads the Brazilian Health Ministry’s campaign against birth mortalities.
Others believe doctors are putting the convenience and profit of C-sections over women’s health. And some women are reportedly asking for the surgery themselves, due to fear of the pain of vaginal childbirth, especially in places like Brazil, where the operation has become ingrained in the culture.
Doctors worried about the trend are speaking out. “We need to be sure that C-sections are not driven by convenience, that interventions are medically indicated and that the safety of a woman and her baby are the driving factors in these decisions,” said Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.
Headline Link: Caesarean births on the rise
During a C-section, a baby is extracted through incisions in the abdomen and uterus. In Brazil, where the rates of Caesarean delivery have skyrocketed in recent years, officials are trying to counter the trend by running television commercials featuring celebrities who’ve given birth vaginally and distributing hundreds of thousands of posters around the country urging women to choose natural birth.
Source: Miami Herald
Opinion & Analysis: Too much information for expectant mothers?
David Batty, news blogger for the Guardian, comments on a story in which many obstetricians and other surgeons admit that they would rather have elective C-sections than vaginal deliveries, after witnessing their fair share of traumatic births: “Perhaps the doctors who so passionately advocate caesareans should consider whether their horror stories risk stressing expectant mothers as much as, if not more than, the peer pressure to undergo a natural birth.”
Source: Guardian
Related Topics: Canada society speaks out; older mothers; underweight babies
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada says 1 in 4 deliveries in Canada are C-sections—a disturbing trend, because the procedure can increase the risk of bleeding, scarring, infection and chronic pelvic pain, and can also make subsequent pregnancies riskier and more prone to complications.
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
A recent U.K. study found that the older women are more likely than younger women to need Caesarian sections, due to changes in the body as women age. “With the numbers of cesareans rising worldwide and more women delaying having children, these findings may help explain some of the reasons for the increase in the operations,” Bloomsbeg.com reports.
Source: Bloomberg.com
In addition to an increase in Caesarian sections, the percentage of babies born with low birth weights in the United States is the highest it’s been in 40 years, according to a report on child health and well being.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: History of the C-section; pregnancy
The National Institutes of Health provides a full history of the Caesarean section. The term is commonly believed to be derived from the surgical birth of Julius Caesar, although the story is unlikely. The history is available in PDF format.
Source: Cesarean Section: A Brief History
Use the findingDulcinea Web Guide to Pregnancy to find the best online resources for learning about conception, prenatal care, childbirth—including Caesarean sections—and other pregnancy-related matters.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
