Professor Jane Sandall publishes new research on rising rates of caesarean section

Professor Jane Sandall from the Department of Midwifery and the Department of Women & Children’s Health in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine has published a paper in The Lancet highlighting an increase in the use of caesarean section worldwide, reaching ‘alarming’ proportions in some countries.

The study noted that the use of caesarean section to deliver babies has nearly doubled in 15 years. More than 50% of births in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Egypt and Turkeywere by caesarean. There are disparities in the techniques used in rich and poor nations, as well as a lack of midwives.

The authors are calling for caesarean only to be used when it is needed for medical reasons, and for there to be more education and training to tackle some of the concerns surrounding childbirth. They highlight that whilst caesarean section can be live-saving for mothers and children, it can also lead to short and long-term health consequences, and call for greater understanding of how the type of birth can affect long term health outcomes for women and children.

Read the full paper here.

The story received media coverage in The Daily Telegraph, BBC Online,Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Times, Fox News, AFP, Huffington Post, CNN and VOA.