C-section has long been thought to have consequences on newborns’ health, especially those done at the mother’s request. No later than last week, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that a C-section increases the risks for the baby by 50 percent or more if performed before 39 weeks of gestation.

 

But, C-sections may also have unexpected consequences on mothers’ health as well. According to a new study done at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, not only that the number of C-sections increased between 1998 and 2005, but also did the rates of serious complications for mothers delivering through C-section. The proportion of infants delivered by C-section has increased from 5 percent in 1975 to 30 percent nowadays

 

The study found a 90 percent increase in blood transfusions and a 50 percent increase in pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots in the lungs. Also, there was a 20 percent increase in rates of kidney failure, respiratory distress syndrome, shock and the need for a ventilator.

 

Both vaginal and C-section deliveries carry risks but the study is meant to inform women about what they’re facing when choosing one way or the other.

 

“What we’re trying to do is to make sure that women and families are aware of all the risks so when they make these decisions they are making informed decisions and doctors are able to give them good information,” co-author of the study Dr. Susan Meikle, medical officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said.

 

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a C-section should not be performed unless there are medical indications for it. However, this is not what reality shows, many of the C-sections being performed at the mothers’ request.

 

The study findings were published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.