I know I haven't actually read this whole article but I have read the title and intro....
PLEASE!!! Why can they NOT stop blaming women for cs rates????? You are too posh; too young; too old; too indigenous; too fat; too risky; too stupid..... I don’t actually see the women with scalpels in their hands here people!!! THE DOCTORS MAKE THE DECISIONS !! THE DOCTORS MAKE THE INCISIONS!!! GRR GRR GRR GRR!!!! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of leanne wynne Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:26 AM To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au Subject: [ozmidwifery] article FYI C-Section Rates: Obesity to Blame? Patient Requests May Not Be Major Factor in Growing Number of C-Sections By Charlene Laino WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD0 on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 May 9, 2006 (Washington) -- Contrary to what many believe, patient requests are probably not the main driving force behind the increasing rates of cesarean births in the U.S., doctors say. Rather, obesity is probably to blame for much of the rise, says Frederic Frigoletto Jr., MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The doctors acknowledge that some pregnant women ask their doctors for C-sections because of the increased convenience of choosing the time of delivery and because of a desire for less painful childbirth. A National Institutes of Health task force found some increase in patients' requests. "But it certainly didn't account for the sharp increase in cesarean deliveries," says Mary D'Alton, MD, chairwoman of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Frigoletto says his research suggests that the increase in cesarean deliveries coincides with the epidemic of obesity in this country. Obese women are at risk for pregnancy-related complications, including hypertension , gestational diabetes, and blood clots, all of which may lead to a recommendation for cesarean delivery, he says. The experts discussed the rising C-section rates at a news conference at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). C-Sections at All-Time High By 2004, the number of C-sections had reached an all-time high, accounting for 29% of all births -- or 1 million babies -- according to the latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics. That's in contrast to a 5% rate after World War II, a number that remained relatively stable until it skyrocketed to 15% in the 1970s. C-sections continued to gain popularity until the early 1990s, by which time 22% of babies were delivered by cesarean. Then reports that women who had undergone a first cesarean delivery might not need a cesarean the next time around led the rate to fall back to below 20%. But this was soon proven false "with studies in the mid-1990s indicating that attempts for a vaginal delivery after a cesarean was dangerous for the mother," says Stanley Zinberg, MD, deputy executive vice president of ACOG. And so the number rose again. While ACOG has no formal position on maternal-requested C-sections, D'Alton says that elective procedures should not be performed before 39 weeks of gestation unless there is a medical reason to do so. D'Alton also stresses that women should not have more than three or four cesarean births. Repeated C-sections increase the risk of dangerous placental abnormalities in later pregnancies, she explains. More first-time cesareans are now increasing the rate of repeat surgeries later, each of which carries progressively higher risks to both mother and newborn. Doctors are seeing more severe life-threatening complications in which the placenta fails to detach from the uterus because it sticks to scars from previous cesareans in women who have had previous cesarean deliveries, she says. According to Zinberg, younger women are at less risk of C-section-associated complications. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- SOURCES: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists annual meeting, Washington D.C., May 6-10, 2006. Frederic Frigoletto Jr., MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Mary D'Alton, MD, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York. Stanley Zinberg, MD, deputy executive vice president, ACOG. News release, ACOG. © 2006 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved Leanne Wynne Midwife in charge of "Women's Business" Mildura Aboriginal Health Service Mob 0418 371862 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.5.1/327 - Release Date: 4/28/2006 -- Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.5.1/327 - Release Date: 4/28/2006 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
