Cesarean birth rate reached record mark

Cesarean birth rate reached record mark in Germany

23/03/2011

The caesarean birth rate has reached a new record: Never before have so many women given birth to children by birth. According to the Federal Statistical Office, almost every third child in Germany was born through medical intervention.

Every third child comes by „Imperial cut“ to the world
The caesarean birth rate has reached a new high in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, exactly 201,480 pregnant women gave birth to children by caesarean section in 2009. In total, 644,274 hospital births were completed in the penultimate year, including multiple births. Thus, the proportion of operating births increased to 31.3 percent. Noticeable: the trend has been going on for years. Last year, 30.2 percent of pregnant women gave birth by caesarean section. For the first time in 2008, the 30 percent mark was exceeded. For comparison: In 2005, the Germany-wide rate was still at 28 percent. In the years before, the rate was even lower. Since 1991, this has been a huge increase of more than 15 percent.

In 2009, a total of 656,265 children were born in birth houses and clinics. The difference to the mentioned birth rate results from multiple births. Around 2,000 children were born dead. Overall, the birth rate in Germany has been declining for years. Thus, a total of 667,464 children were born in the Federal Republic. Nearly 12,000 children were born in their own home. There were 328 stillbirths in the home births.

In Saarland, most of the cesarean sections were performed
In the Saarland, a caesarean section was most frequently performed by doctors. Approximately 38.5 percent of hospital births were performed by means of caesarean section. Hessen ranked with just under 34 percent, followed by Bavaria with 33.1 percent. The fewest caesarean sections were taken in the federal state of Saxony with 22.6 percent and in Thuringia with 26.1 percent. Overall, the caesarean sections were below average in the new federal states and in the city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg. In Brandenburg (minus 1 percent), in Hamburg (minus 0.1) as well as in Bremen, a slight decline was measured. In Lower Saxony, on the other hand, the clearest increase compared to the previous year was measured at 2.4 percent. With the help of the "suction cup" (vacuum extraction), a total of 33,418 children were born in 2009, which is about 5.2 percent of all deliveries in the hospital. With the help of the forceps birth, there were 4,247 (0.7 percent).

Reasons for the high caesarean section
In a cesarean section (medically cut birth or cesarean section), infants are surgically removed from the uterus. For this purpose, a lower abdominal cross-section (Pfannenstielschnitt) is usually made. Medical is divided into a primary and a secondary cesarean section. The primary caesarean section is used before rupture and labor. Here it can be an indication of foreseeable complications, such as life-threatening situations for mother and / or child. Secondary caesarean section is performed after the rupture of membranes or the onset of labor at birth, when it is foreseeable that delivery beyond the uterine outlet is no longer feasible. Previously, this procedure was only performed if there was a medical indicator. Nowadays, more and more Cesarean sections are performed at the request of the mother.

Increased risk of birth defects and problem pregnancies lead doctors to perform caesarean sections more often. The reason for this is most likely the liability law. If a large circumference of the head has been measured, the unborn child is in a transverse position or breech position, so if in doubt physicians tend to undergo surgery. Another reason for the increasing caesarean section rate is likely to be the ever higher average birth weight in western industrialized countries. The increase can be explained by the changed eating habits of the people. People are increasing in body weight, which also affects their birth weight. In addition, medical interventions provide a higher fee for clinics and doctors. Psychologists, non-medical practitioners and critical physicians remind us again and again in this connection that children often suffer from disquiets or symmetry disorders after cesarean sections. The physical handicap of the mother in the first days after the birth and the unexperienced natural birth may lead to a delayed development of the mother-child relationship. Therefore, for example, non-medical practitioners usually advise against desired cutting births if there is no medical need. (Sb)

Also read:
DAK: Number of Caesarean sections is growing rapidly
Every third baby is born by caesarean section
Cesarean section: Networks for aftercare grow

Gemini 2006