Canadian Researchers Suggest Review Of Current Guidelines On C-Sections In Difficult Labor

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 27 May 2010 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

A recent study showing that the rate of cesarean sections performed at hospitals across British Columbia, Canada, varied between less than 15% and more than 27% -- with only 2% requested by the women -- prompted researchers to recommend "revising the current guidelines" on when it is appropriate to perform a c-section, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, researchers in the U.S. and Canada agree that current c-section rates are too high. About one-third of all U.S. births are via c-section.

For the study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver analyzed more than 100,000 deliveries in the Canadian province. Difficult labor was found to be the most prevalent cause for a c-section, accounting for one-third of the procedures.

The researchers noted that even when they accounted for differences in the women's preferences and health conditions that could complicate vaginal delivery, there still was an "unwarranted variation" in c-section rates. The authors added that although it is not clear why the rate in British Columbia is unusually high, limited resources at smaller hospitals may play a role in the increased dependence on c-sections to avoid emergency surgeries (Reuters, 5/24).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations