A World Health Organization survey confirms that this is a world-wide phenomenon, and not an encouraging one. The WHO’s use of the word “epidemic” to describe the situation conveys a serious concern that this procedure, life-saving for mother and/or baby when necessary, is drastically overutilized.
The boom in unnecessary surgeries is jeopardizing women’s health, the U.N. health agency warned in the report published online Tuesday in the medical journal The Lancet.
Unnecessary C-sections are costlier than natural births and raise the risk of complications for the mother, said the report surveying nine Asian nations. It noted C-sections have reached “epidemic proportions” in many countries worldwide.
China’s C-section rate, nearly half of all births, “leads” the world. The U.S. rate is now at 31%. Nations from Paraguay to Thailand are also reporting all-time highs for the procedure.
It’s by no means risk-free.
Women undergoing C-sections that are not medically necessary are more likely to die or be admitted into intensive care units, require blood transfusions or encounter complications that lead to hysterectomies, the WHO study found.
U.S. studies have shown babies born by cesarean have a greater chance for respiratory problems. The Asia survey found the procedure benefits babies during breech births.
Whether convenience- or profit-driven, this is an alarming trend.
