Birth Process for Moms: Location is Key

The rate of cesarean deliveries is more than twice as high in some parts of the country than in other parts, according to an analysis by Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS). They collected data from three million deliveries by BCBS commercially insured members.

Cesarean rates in Miami, Florida, and Jackson, Mississippi, are double those in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Iowa City, Iowa. Factors such as age, number of births, and malpractice incidents were included in the analysis.

Nationally, cesarean rates decreased slightly each year between 2010 and 2015.

Between June 2010 and July 2015, the cesarean rate decreased each year from 35.2 percent to 33.7 percent.

The five-year average for cesarean deliveries was 34.7 percent versus the 32.7 percent rate determined by 2013 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The cesarean rate was linked to demographic factors, such as age.

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“In this study, mothers insured through BCBS companies are, on average, 30 years old,” the BCBS website reported. “Among the U.S. population, the average age of mothers giving birth is approximately 1.6 years younger, or 28.4 years old, based on NCHS data.”

All factors considered, however, the West South Central division has a cesarean rate of 39.4 percent. The Mountain division reported a 10.1 percent decrease — resulting in a cesarean rate of 29.3 percent.

If a mother’s first birth is cesarean, she is 89 percent more likely to have a cesarean for her next birth, based on NCHS data, said BCBS. Cesarean births were determined safer than vaginal deliveries. To lower the national cesarean rate, first-time mothers should avoid having a C-section, if possible. The C-section rate proved to increase as age increased, according to the BCBS study.

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Severe Maternal Mobility (SMM) was coined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed as a measure of severe complications pre- and post-delivery. These complications include heart attack, renal failure, eclampsia, internal injuries, hysterectomy, or the need for a blood transfusion or ventilation.

In the CDC data, SMMs occurred in 2.9 percent of cesarean deliveries and only 0.8 percent of vaginal deliveries, according to the BCBS study. Cesareans might contribute to SMMs, and women at higher risk of SMMs may deliver by cesarean more often.

The national trend may be reverting back to natural deliveries. Further research is being conducted.

To read more about the rate of C-sections, click here.