C-Sections in U.S. Stable After 12-Year Rise: CDC
Cesarean deliveries in the United States have leveled off
for the first time in 12 years, although they still account for almost
one-third of live births, U.S. health officials report.
"It's about time," said Dr. Mitchell Maiman,
chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Staten Island University Hospital in
New York City, who was not involved in the report.
The trend toward C-sections, which increased 60 percent
between 1996 and 2009, was worrisome, he said. "It was bad for mothers and
babies, and now finally it seems we have been able to halt it or maybe even
reverse it a tiny bit," Maiman said.
"But we have a long way to go because the C-section
rate is way higher than it should be," he added.
After rising from 21 percent of births in 1996 to about
33 percent in 2009, the 2011 rate held steady at about 31 percent, according to
figures released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG) and other medical groups have helped to curb elective
surgical deliveries, Maiman said. Those guidelines discourage cesarean delivery
before 39 weeks without a medical indication.
Staten Island University Hospital has followed such
guidelines for more than 15 years, Maiman said. The C-section rate there is
about 22 percent, well below the national average.
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