About one in three births in the U.S. are C-sections, according to new data, well above the 10-15% rate that the WHO considers “ideal.”
The national C-section delivery rate increased in 2023 to 32.4%, up from 32.1% in 2022, according to provisional CDC numbers.
That’s the highest rate since 2013, and the fourth annual increase after the rate generally declined 2009 – 2019, the CDC says.
The rate of low-risk cesarean deliveries (mothers’ first births of full-term, head-first singletons) increased from 26.3% in 2022 to 26.6% in 2023, the highest rate since 2013, per the CDC
An increase in C-sections doesn’t necessarily mean the rate of unnecessary procedures has risen — there are other factors at play.
Patients are sicker overall.
With conditions like gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy on the rise, there could be a greater need for C-sections, says Jane van Dis, OB-GYN and assistant professor at the University of Rochester.
Van Dis says it’s her hypothesis that the rise in those conditions is due to “environmental exposure,” and she cites the increasing use of plastics.
Repeat C-sections account for many procedures, even though the old “too posh to push” idea is not widely held.
“If you have already had a C-section, you will almost always be offered — and indeed the default is likely to be — a second,” says Emily Oster, economist and author of “The Unexpected,” her book about navigating pregnancy complications, due out April 30.
Hospital politics might also come into play.
For example, there are cases when doctors are more inclined to perform C-sections because that option would less likely lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit, Van Dis says.
And health care system reimbursements for C-sections are generally higher than for vaginal births. “Financial incentives almost always play some role,” Oster says.
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign In or Sign Up account to post comment.