Helen, Which paper did you get this article from?
Thanks Kate ----- Original Message ----- From: "Helen and Graham" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 9:07 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Another blow for VBAC Here is another version of the Sydney Morning Herald article which seems to have distorted some of the facts where it states "New research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found these women [first time mothers having a caesarian] are more vulnerable to uterine ruptures during birth, post-partum bleeding, infection and hysterectomies than women who go through natural labour for their first birth". Am I reading it incorrectly? It seems confusing at best and misleading at worst if that is the case! Helen Cahill Caesars pose risk for later deliveries From: By Amanda Hodge November 21, 2005 HOLLYWOOD mothers love it and lawyers want more of it, but a new Australian study warns that first-time mothers having a caesarean section face greater risk of problems if they choose to deliver naturally in later pregnancies. New research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found these women are more vulnerable to uterine ruptures during birth, post-partum bleeding, infection and hysterectomies than women who go through natural labour for their first birth. But women who delivered their first and subsequent children by caesarean were at lower risk of haemorrhage and intensive care admissions than those who went through vaginal birth. With record numbers of women choosing to deliver by caesarean section for convenience rather than medical reasons, the study by the New South Wales Health Department warns women should think twice before going under the knife. Study co-author and professor of perinatal medicine David Henderson-Smart said the increased risk of complications arose because a caesarean section left a scar on the uterus which, in the worst cases, could rupture during vaginal birth. "All the complications relate to how the afterbirth attaches to the side of the womb and whether the womb gets into trouble," Professor Henderson-Smart said. "That doesn't mean you can't have a vaginal birth, but it has to be thought about carefully." The population-based study looked at 136,101 second-time mothers who gave birth between 1998 and 2002, 19 per cent of whom delivered their first child by caesarean section. While complications were uncommon, the study found 51 per cent of uterine ruptures, 19 per cent of hysterectomies and 32per cent of post-partum infections were a result of primary caesarean sections. Babies could also face greater problems - four per cent of premature births and five per cent of all neonatal intensive care admissions were attributable to primary caesarean section - but the study found no increased risk of neonatal death as a result. That contrasts with the findings of a Scottish study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last November that found an increased risk of stillbirths and brain injury in babies if mothers tried to go through natural labour after delivering by caesarean for their first birth. Obstetrician and former Australian Medical Association president David Molloy said the rise in caesarean sections - more than 20 per cent of all births and as high as 25 per cent in the private sector - was due to a combination of factors. "Maternal requests are a very significant driver. It's also partly because older women are having babies (which often leads to greater complications) and partly because C-sections are the medico-legal gold standard," Dr Molloy said. "All the big cases in court revolve around the fact you didn't do a caesar or didn't do one quickly enough." Dr Molloy said obstetricians were also seeing an increasing number of second-generation women having caesarean deliveries as a result of inheriting their mothers' small pelvises. "The treatment for that years ago was to say no more children, but in the past 40 years we have hauled those people out of trouble with a caesar and so they're passing on their smaller pelvis to their daughters." The study found women who had caesarean deliveries tended to be older and wealthier, and were more likely to suffer obstetric complications. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrea Robertson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 7:19 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] Another blow for VBAC > This is in today's Sydney Morning Herald. No doubt this report will > trigger furious debate (as it should) but let's try an get the focus on > the first caesarean, not the possible risks with VBAC. > > These figures for first caesareans are shocking - higher that the USA! > > http://www.smh.com.au/news/health/caesareans-lift-risks-in-later-births--study/2005/11/20/1132421548464.html > > Andrea > > ----- > Andrea Robertson > Birth International * ACE Graphics * Associates in Childbirth Education > > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: www.birthinternational.com > > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > __________ NOD32 1.1295 (20051120) Information __________ > > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. > http://www.eset.com > > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
