Non-Medically Necessary C-Section Births Less Common
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Kmonroe2/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that non-medically necessary cesarean section deliveries are on the decline.
According to data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of C-section births among single babies at 37 or more weeks who are positioned head first has been sliding downwards since 2009. Researchers say that the pace of decline in non-medically necessary C-sections is more rapid than the decline in overall C-sections.
C-section deliveries are often more expensive, require a longer recovery time and make it less likely that any subsequent children the woman births will be delivered vaginally.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made an effort to reduce the number of unnecessary C-sections, noting that as many as 30 percent of all births occur via C-section. The rate of C-section deliveries in 2013 was measured at 26.9 percent.
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