Press Release: Defensive Medicine Practice Leads to Dramatic Increse in Cesarean Section Rate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2005
Defensive Medicine Practice Leads to Dramatic Increase in Cesarean Section Rate
CHICAGO- Cesarean section surgery rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States according to new statistics released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 29.1% of babies in the United States were born via cesarean section surgery in 2004, up from 26.1% in 2003 and an increase of over 40% since 1996.
“The current c-section rate defies logic and it defies evidence-based medical practice,” states Chicago Certified Nurse-Midwife Sarah Simmons. “Women’s bodies have not changed from 1970 to 2005 necessitating a jump from a 5% cesarean rate to 29.1%. What has changed is the way obstetrics is practiced, and this change has not led to better outcomes for infants.”
Despite drastically increasing cesarean rates, CDC statistics do not show accompanying improvement in infant outcomes. In fact, both the rate of low birthweight and pre-term birth increased. Low birthweight and prematurity have both been associated with infant mortality. The United States ranks 36 in the world for its infant mortality rate, behind countries such as Singapore, Iceland, Czech Republic, and Cuba.
“Women and babies rely on obstetricians to provide exceptional, evidenced-based care. The CDC statistics reveal that for too many women and babies, this is not happening,” states Jacque Shannon-McNulty, President of the nonprofit Chicago Community Midwives.
The World Health Organization declares that national cesarean section rates should be less than 10-15% of all births.
Nationally, the American College of Nurse-Midwives has called for Congressional hearings on the skyrocketing c-section rates, noting that many cesarean sections that are currently being performed are unnecessary and risky to the mother and to the baby.
Cesarean sections are often promoted as a safe and painless birth option, however cesarean section is a major abdominal surgery with researchers noting complication rates between 20 – 50%. Known complications for mothers include hemorrhage, infection, damage to other organs, placental anomalies in future pregnancies, increased risk of stillbirth in future pregnancies, and a 4 – 7 times increased risk of maternal death. Complications for babies include respiratory problems at birth, asthma, breastfeeding difficulty and lacerations.
“The most important thing a pregnant woman can do to prevent unnecessary cesarean section surgery is to educate herself. Pregnant women can not blindly trust that obstetricians will always do what is in the patient’s best interest. Practicing defensive medicine and blanket one-size-fits-all policies that lead to unnecessary cesarean section surgeries are facts of obstetric care in the US. Pregnant women need to protect themselves and become their own best advocates to ensure that they receive the very best evidence-based healthcare,” states Jacque Shannon-McNulty.
To further effective consumer education about cesarean section surgery, Chicago Community Midwives, a nonprofit organization working to improve maternal-child health, has created a program to foster new ICAN chapters in the Chicago metropolitan area. ICAN, the International Cesarean Awareness Network, is a national organization whose mission includes “preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).”
Chicago Community Midwives Acting Executive Director Rachel Dolan Wickersham states, “Mother to mother information sharing and support has a proven track record of success. ICAN groups provide women with the opportunity to access the information, resources and support they need to take back their healthcare and improve their births, for their babies’ health and safety and for their own”
Chicago-area women interested in finding or setting up a local ICAN chapter can contact Chicago Community Midwives by calling Rachel Dolan Wickersham at 630-832-3556 x. 2 or Gail Karlovsky at 630-305-4191.
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Chicago Community Midwives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal-child health by providing public and professional education about the Midwives Model of Care, out of hospital birth and breastfeeding.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics document, “Preliminary Births for 2004: Infant and Maternal Health”
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimbirths04/prelimbirths04health.htm
American College of Nurse-Midwives call for Congressional hearings on rising c-section rates http://midwife.org/display.cfm?id=773
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/en/
International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)
http://www.ican-online.org/
Lamaze International
http://www.lamaze.org/About/documents/Cesarean-section-position-paper.doc
November 19th, 2005