Study Shows Increased Risk of C-Section for Inductions, Early Admission

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Saturday, July 08, 2006

All my friends know that I'm a natural childbirth junkie and that I plan on having this next baby at home. What a lot of people still don't realize though is that I don't think everyone should have babies at home. In fact, I don't even get upset when women opt for epidurals of even elective c-sections. (believe me, I know why women get epidurals.) But...I do wish that women would educate themselves enough to be protected from some of the common pitfalls. Childbirth choices means just that...choices....but a choice isn't a TRUE choice unless it's an informed one.

There's a good article in the Sacramento Bee this week that talks about a new study that was done to look at the difference in c-section rates. For example, moms that choose an elective induction (meaning there's not a medical reason like pre-e or PIH) DOUBLE their risk of c-section simply because a body that isn't ready to go into labor isn't going to go into labor, even with medical help. Another interesting trend that showed up though was the increase in c-sections for moms that simply check in to the hospital too early. Turns out that doing that ALSO doubles the risk of c-section. (That's because active management of labor makes a c-section more likely and active management of labor is more likely the earlier you get there.)

Here's a chart from the story...



And here's a snippet from the story...

The C-section rate in the United States has increased more than 40 percent since 1996 and has never been higher than it is today, representing more than 29 percent of births, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

That's almost double the rate -- at least for low-risk pregnancies -- that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had set as a national goal for 2010.

Despite arguments that C-sections are easier on babies and result in fewer pelvic problems for women later in life, most experts agree that surgery generally increases complication risks for mother and baby.

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