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Proportion of caesarean births declined slightly
After the proportion of cesarean births has risen steadily for years, a slight decline in the caesarean section occurred in 2015, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Possibly, a trend reversal is emerging here, which again leads to a higher proportion of natural births, as experts have long been calling for. Overall, the number of hospital births increased in 2015, which also gives hope for a turnaround in demographic development.
A total of 716,539 hospital births were recorded in 2015. An increase of 3.5 percent over the previous year (24,626 births). The times of continuously decreasing birth rates seem to have been overcome. Also, more women have opted for natural delivery. The proportion of women who gave birth by caesarean section fell marginally by 0.7 percentage points compared to 2014, to 31.1 percent, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
For the first time in years, the proportion of cesarean deliveries has declined slightly. (Image: Dan Race / fotolia.com) Different caesarean rates in the individual federal states
In recent years, more and more caesarean births were observed https://www.heilpraxisnet.de/naturheilpraxis/immer-mehr-kaiserschnitt-geburten-2015082043464, often there was no medical need for such childbirth. In 2015, the share of caesarean deliveries for hospital births has now declined slightly. However, almost every third child is still born by caesarean section. However, there are clear differences between the individual federal states. Caesarean rates in Saarland were extremely high (38.5 percent), while Brandenburg (25.6 percent) and Saxony (24 percent) had comparatively a very low proportion of cesarean section births.
North Rhine-Westphalia with the most deliveries
Contrary to the decreasing trend, the proportion of cesarean births in Hamburg and Saxony-Anhalt has risen slightly (+ 0.7 and + 0.5 percentage points, respectively), according to the Federal Statistical Office. Hamburg thus achieves the second highest caesarean birth rate in Germany. Overall, North Rhine-Westphalia had by far the largest number of hospital births (157,065 births), followed by Bavaria (114,909 births). Here, according to absolute numbers, most of the cesarean sections were performed (50,164 or 36,595).
Other obstetrics rather rare
In addition to the cesarean sections, other obstetrics were only rarely used in 2015. "A suction cup (vacuum extraction) was used in 5.9% of deliveries, a forceps in 0.4% of deliveries," reports the Federal Statistical Office. As in the previous year, the proportion of live-born children was 99.7 percent.
Midwives Association calls for strengthening the natural birth
The German Midwives Association (DHV) expressed considerable criticism of the continuing high proportion of cesarean births and called for a "strengthening of the physiological birth". According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only a caesarean section rate of up to 10 percent is medically necessary. Here there is an urgent need to reduce the caesarean rate in Germany. "Because every caesarean section is an operation and should only be performed if it is medically necessary," says the association.
Caesarean rate must be lowered
"The rate of caesarean section in Germany is too high and has to be lowered," emphasizes Susanne Steppat, board member of the DHV. As reasons for the high proportion of these births, the expert mentions staff shortage in the delivery rooms, which prevents, to be able to care intensively for each woman giving birth. Also, there are "too little knowledge about the different processes of a normal birth." Today, "often interferes with the slightest deviation from gynecologists," said Steppat. Here, valid standards would be missing when a cesarean section is required. The decision is therefore subjectively met in many cases, even with the fear of errors and subsequent birth defects.
Risks for mother and child
Although caesarean sections can save lives, but should they only be used in an emergency, the midwife association demands. Because the procedure brings risks for the health of mother and child with it. For example, there is an increased risk of asthma, diabetes and allergies for the children. "A nationwide action plan to promote physiological birth would be the right signal," concluded Steppat. (Fp)