CNN/AP: C-sections in U.S. reach all-time high [View All]

C-sections in U.S. reach all-time high
Government research finds preterm, low-weight births on the rise
Tuesday, November 15, 2005


ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The rate of Caesarean sections in the U.S. has climbed to an all-time high, despite efforts by public health authorities to bring down the number of such deliveries, the government said Tuesday.

Nearly 1.2 million C-sections were performed in 2004, accounting for 29.1 percent of all births that year, the National Center for Health Statistics reported. That is up from 27.5 percent in 2003 and 20.7 in 1996.

The increase is attributed to fears of malpractice lawsuits if a vaginal delivery goes wrong, the preferences of mothers and physicians, and the risks of attempting vaginal births after Caesareans.

The C-section rate increased for all births, even those that involved healthy, first-time pregnancies with a full-term, single child.

In 2000, the government announced a national public health goal of reducing the C-section rate for such births to 15 percent by 2010, but the actual rate now is about 24 percent and rising....


http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/11/15/csections.up.ap/index.html