Rising Caesarean Births

India’s rising rate of caesarean births is a cause for concern and signals the need for strategies to deal with it. Adverse outcomes of caesarean births include high risk of maternal and neonatal death, various maternal morbidities including infections, need for blood transfusion, neonatal morbidities related to iatrogenic prematurity, and potential complications in subsequent pregnancies.

ACaesarean section (CS) is a significant development of modern medicine and is a life-saving surgical procedure when certain complications arise during pregnancy and labour. However, the growing practice of CS without a medical indication or following demand by the patient has not brought any benefit to the women or infants. Adverse outcomes of CS include high risk of maternal and neonatal death, various maternal morbidities, including infections, need for blood transfusion, neonatal morbidities often related to iatrogenic prematurity; and potential complications in subsequent pregnancies (Roberts and Nippita 2015; Lumbiganon et al 2010). Empirical studies have demonstrated that children born by CS have higher probability of developing respiratory problems, diabetes and obesity later in life as compared to children born via vaginal delivery (Blustein and Liu 2015). India is no exception, where a rising rate of caesarean births has been reported. Using statistics from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data collected in 2005–06 and 2015–16, this article presents changes (during 2005–16) in the trend of caesarean births in India, stratified by the place of residence (rural/urban) and by the type of service provider (public/private). Challenges behind the rising caesarean births have been discussed.

Trends in Caesarean Births