In 2009, more than one in three women who gave birth underwent a cesarean section, according to a new study. The study also found that from 2002 to 2009, the national C-section rate rose from 27 percent to 34 percent.
Of the 19 states that the study surveyed, Florida, New Jersey and Texas had the highest C-section rates (38.6 percent, 38 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively), while Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado had the lowest (22.4 percent, 25.1 percent and 27.3 percent, respectively), as reported by MSNBC. The study was conducted by HealthGrades, a company whose website lets users find and rate physicians.
"Obviously, a 34 percent C-section rate is far too high," said Jacqueline Wolf, an Ohio University researcher who wasn't involved in the study, as quoted by MSNBC. "Medical reasons alone cannot possibly explain why more than one in three American women need major abdominal surgery in order to safely give birth."
The study’s authors also doubt the legitimate necessity for a 34 percent C-section rate. A C-section is only required to remove the baby from the uterus when there is reason to believe that a vaginal delivery could endanger the health of the baby or the mother.
