Cesarean Awareness Radio Documentary

Thank you for listening to the radio documentary for cesarean awareness on Mountain News and World Report. The original airdate was August 1st at 10:30am, but it will be available on the Community Correspondence Core website and here indefinitely. I hope you will find the following information helpful as you research this birth possibility. If you have any questions about the content of the piece or information you find here, please talk it over with your healthcare provider. Also, I will be happy to help you further. Simply email birthtrue@gmail.com.

The possibility of cesarean surgery faces approximately 1 in 3 women nationwide, including Kentucky. It is a good idea for any pregnant woman to inform herself of the risks and benefits of this common procedure as well as reasons it may or may not be necessary. The following is a page dedicated to statistics and links that will provide you with the information you need to talk with your care provider about cesarean and will help you in making informed decisions about your healthcare.

Simple Cesarean Statistics

These statistics are current as of the making of this page. I will update them as I receive more current information. You will find these statistics throughout the pages in the links section and the recommended reading list as well.

Recommended Cesarean Rate for those Providing Cesarean Section by the World Health Organization – 10-15% (This % is for those also attending pregnancies that are high risk. Keeping percentage rates in this range ensures surgeries are happening for medical necessity.)
Percentage of Pregnancies that should result in vaginal birth by the World Health Organization – 90%
United States Cesarean Rate – 32.3% (More than double the rate recommended by WHO)
Kentucky Cesarean Rate – 34.6% (We rank 7th highest in the nation.)
Percentage of Amercian women attempting VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) – 8% (though 45% are interested in attempting VBAC)
Percentage of Successful VBAC attempts - 60-80% (labor induction or augmentation and use of other medications can change the rate of successful VBAC.)
Risk of death with cesarean birth - The estimated risk of a woman dying after a cesarean birth is less than one in 2,500 (the risk of death after a vaginal birth is less than one in 10,000).
Risk of uterine rupture with VBAC - 0.5-0.9% (labor induction or augmentation and the use of other medications can change this percentage)