Cesarean Rates Rise Again
- Published: 11 July 2012 11 July 2012
National Cesarean Rate Hits a New High
- Published: 11 July 2012 11 July 2012
Release Highlights:
- Cesarean rate at record high in U.S.
- Cesarean rise coincides with CDC report that maternal death rate rising for the first time in decades.
- World Health Organization data shows that mothers die at a higher rate in the U.S. than 40 other countries.
- Consumer Reports includes cesarean on "10 overused tests and treatments"
Redondo Beach, CA, December 5, 2007 - The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that the cesarean rate has hit an all-time high of 31.1 percent.
CDC's Preliminary Data for 2006
"There's no doubt that cesarean surgery is being overused," said Pam Udy, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network. "Unfortunately, despite its reputation as a harmless surgery, many women and babies are paying the high price of complications from this surgery."
Read more . . .
Cesarean Rate Jumps to Record High
- Published: 11 July 2012 11 July 2012
More Women Forced into Surgery;
Few Mothers Recognize They Can Reduce Their Risk of Surgery
Redondo Beach, CA, March 18, 2009 - The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that the cesarean rate hit an all-time high in 2007, with a rate of 31.8 percent, up two percent from 2006.
Read more . . .
Virginia C-section Rates by OB
- Published: 11 July 2012 11 July 2012
Virginia no longer collects data on cesarean rates by provider. Here are some tips from ICAN members and attendees on how to obtain this information.
- Ask your provider for their cesarean and VBAC rates. Some providers already have this information available on their website or Facebook page. You have the right to directly ask this question.
- If the provider does not know their current rates, you can ask "in the past 10 births, how many have been cesareans? VBACS?"
- Research the hospital cesarean rate. Leapfrog reports the cesarean rates and is a free resource you can access. While this is not a provider rate, it does give an indictation of the hospital culture the provider works at.
NIH VBAC panel finds VBAC safe
- Published: 11 July 2012 11 July 2012
Today, a statement was released from the NIH VBAC consensus stating that evidence shows VBACs are a safe alternative to a repeat c-section. According to their statement: "Given the available evidence, TOL is a reasonable option for many pregnant women with a prior low transverse uterine incision." Additionally, "We are concerned that medico-legal considerations add to, as well as exacerbate, these barriers. Policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders must collaborate in the development and implementation of appropriate strategies to mitigate the chilling effect of the medico-legal environment on access to care"
The complete statement released by the panel can be found here: NIH VBAC Consensus statement
The post conference press release can be found here: NIH VBAC post conference press release