Cesarean delivery – more popular than ever before

A report released yesterday from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the cesarean rate rose by 53% from 1996 to 2007, reaching 32%, the highest rate ever reported in the United States. The 1.4 million cesarean births in 2007 represented about one-third of all births in the United States.

Although clear clinical indications often exist for a cesarean delivery, the short- and long-term benefits and risks for both mother and infant have been the subject of intense debate for over 25 years. Despite this, the rate continues to rise for women in all racial and ethnic groups, as well as for women of every age, as shown below.

For more from this recent release, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db35.pdf.