The Latest in Cesarean Sections
Latest Data
Frequency and Trends
Cesarean section rates have been increasing since the late 1990’s, as seen in the graph below:
At the state level, Cesarean section rates vary by region. The highest rates are seen in the Atlantic South, and the lowest are in the Pacific Northwest:
Here is the freeze frame for the 2019 state Cesarean Rates:
Trends on a global scale:
Demographics
The graph below displays the cesarean section rate by age category:
The 2021 cesarean section rates by race:
The graph below displays how the cesarean section rate differs by education:
Risk and Protective Factors
Interventions
Medical professionals across the country are working to decrease the United States’ cesarean section rate. Take a look at some of the interventions they are using:
- Ariadne Labs, Team Birth Project
- Doulas
- Midwives
- Vaginal Births After Cesarean (VBACs)
- Doctors in England began changing the way cesarean sections are conducted in an effort to make cesarean sections healthier. Check out the details here
Other Cool Stuff
- *New* article from the Atlantic about the influence of cost and profit on the cesarean section rate in the United States.
- Check out this website for more cesarean section information.
- Read this article, which addresses the intersection between cesarean section and addiction.
- Some medical professionals are working to make cesarean sections more similar to a natural births. Learn more about the technique here.
- Choice of hospital may be the largest predictor of cesarean section, according to Dr. Neel Shah.
- Read a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looking at planned cesarean sections in twin births and risk of neonatal morbidity.