Bad News on C-Sections

Elective cesarean section births are on the rise, and it's not hard to understand why. The surgery removes the unpredictability of the delivery date, and eliminates the risk of tearing, incontinence and other physical complications that can come with a vaginal birth.

But a recent study performed in South America evaluating 97,095 deliveries at 120 private and public hospitals found that C-sections were associated with higher rates of maternal death and severe illness. The C-section babies were also more likely to die or end up in intensive care for seven days or more after birth. Here's the study, which was published in The Lancet (registration required).

From the Ottowa Citizen:

The results, published online by the journal The Lancet, "show how a medical intervention or treatment that is effective when applied to sick individuals in emergency situations can do more harm than good when applied to healthy populations."

While the study involved Latin American hospitals, the researchers believe the findings would hold true "beyond the participating institutions."

I can't help but wonder, though, if they really would. The article also notes that other studies have found that C-sections are safer for babies than vaginal birth.