The Truth about C-Sections

Here's some disturbing information about cesarean births in the US:

• Women are four times more likely to die during cesarean birth than during vaginal birth.
• Cesarean deliveries increased 7 percent from 2001 to 2002 to reach a rate of 26.1 percent of all births, the highest ever reported inthe United States. Source: (2003) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• The US ranks 21st among nations in infant mortality and has not improved measurably since the 1970s.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) states that no region in the world is justified in having a cesarean rate greater than 10 to 15%.
• Cesarean sections are sometimes performed for other than maternal or fetal well-being, such as avoidance of patient pain, patient orprovider convenience, provider legal concerns or provider financial incentives.
• In the 1960s, the cesarean rate in the U.S. was just 6.6 percent.
  

Statistics for 2002 and 2003 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

The five states with the highest cesarean rates in 2003:

• Mississippi = 31.1%
• New Jersey = 30.9%
• Louisiana = 30.4%
• West Virginia = 29.3%
• Alabama = 28.7%
  

The states with the lowest cesarean rates in 2003:

• New Mexico, (where 25% of babies are delivered by midwives), = 19.1%
• Utah = 19.1%
• Alaska = 19.4%
• Idaho = 19.7%
  
• Wisconsin = 20.6%
  

The five states with the highest cesarean rates in 2002:

• Mississippi = 31.10%
• New Jersey = 30.90%
• Louisiana = 30.40%
• West Virginia = 29.30%
• Arkansas = 29.10%
  

The states with the lowest cesarean rates in 2002:

• Wisconsin = 20.60%
• Idaho = 19.70%
• Alaska = 19.40%
• New Mexico = 19.10%
• Utah = 19.10%