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posted by martyb on Friday October 12 2018, @06:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the labor-of-love dept.

C-section births rise rapidly to more than 20 percent worldwide

Rates of caesarean section births almost doubled between 2000 and 2015 – from 12 to 21 percent worldwide - new research has found, with the life-saving surgery unavailable to many women in poor countries while often over-used in richer ones.

The research, published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday, found that 60 percent of countries overuse C-sections and 25 percent under-use them, suggesting that recommendations for their use in cases of medical need are widely ignored.

In at least 15 countries, more than 40 percent of all babies born are delivered by C-section. The highest rate, of 58.1 percent, was in the Dominican Republic.

Experts estimate that between 10 and 15 percent of births medically require a C-section due to complications such as bleeding, foetal distress, hypertension or a baby being in an abnormal position.

While the procedure can save lives - of both mothers and newborns - it can also create complications and side effects, including higher risks for future births.

"The large increases in C-section use – mostly in richer settings for non-medical purposes – are concerning because of the associated risks for women and children," said Marleen Temmerman, an expert from Aga Khan University in Kenya and Ghent University in Belgium who co-led the research.

Also at BBC, EurekAlert!, The Guardian, and Voice of America.

See also: New WHO guidance on non-clinical interventions specifically designed to reduce unnecessary caesarean sections

Global epidemiology of use of and disparities in caesarean sections (DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31928-7) (DX)


Original Submission #1   Original Submission #2

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 13 2018, @05:48AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 13 2018, @05:48AM (#748184)

    God Bless you.

    My wife worked out, and did special exercises right up to birth. Once her water broke and we got her to the hospital, she was already 8 CM and epidoral was out of the question. She gave perfectly natural birth with no fuss within the hour. Hoping for repeat performance for the second one :)