Unnecessary C-sections risky for mother and baby

By Han Manman

Childbirth is a pain only a woman will ever know. But these days, fewer women are experiencing it since they opt for a Cesarean section (C-section).

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports C-section numbers are up across the world, with almost 50 percent of Chinese children being birthed under a knife. But the C-section is still a major surgery, and the WHO warns that its unnecessary use may jeopardize women’s health.

CFP Photo

C-sections most frequent in China

Almost half of all births in China are C-sections, representing the world’s highest rate for the procedure, according to a WHO studypublished last week. It declares that the rate of C-sections has reached “epidemic proportions” in many countries: 36 percent in Vietnam and 34 percent in Thailand.

The study reviewed almost 110,000 births in nine Asian countries in 2007 and 2008. In China, 46 percent of these births were C-sections: one quarter were not medically necessary.

The reasons for women electing to have a C-section varied between regions, but the frequency of the procedure seems related to patients’ wealth and access to improved medical facilities, the study concluded.

In China, women opt for the surgery to choose an auspicious birthday for their child. Some fear painful natural births or worry their vaginas may be stretched or damaged by a normal delivery. A few women said they mistakenly believed it is less risky, said Zhang Weiyuan, a doctor from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.