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National Vital Statistics Reports
Trends in Cesarean Rates for First Births and Repeat Cesarean Rates for Low-Risk Women: United States, 1990-2003
Trends in Cesarean Rates
for First Births and Repeat Cesarean Rates for Low-Risk Women: United
States, 1990-2003.
NVSR Volume 54, Number 4. 9 pp. (PHS)
2005-1120
View/download PDF
553 KB
Objective
This report presents trends in cesarean rates for low-risk women, in
relation to the Healthy People 2010 objectives. A low risk woman has a
full term (at least 37 completed weeks of gestation) singleton pregnancy
(not a multiple pregnancy) with vertex fetal presentation (head facing in
a downward position in the birth canal). Data for the United
States showing trends
by maternal age, race, and Hispanic origin are presented.
Highlights
Cesarean rates for low-risk women having a first birth, and repeat
cesarean rates, increased between 1996 and 2003 to the highest rates ever
reported for low-risk women in the United States. Rates increased
similarly for low-risk women of all ages and racial and ethnic groups.
Other findings include
The
widespread increase in the cesarean rate for low-risk women supports the
idea that the indications for cesarean delivery have changed.
Twenty-four
percent of first births to low risk women in 2003 were cesarean births, an
increase of one-third since 1996.
The
rate of repeat cesarean delivery increased by more than one fourth, from
70 to 89 percent during this time period. Therefore, in 2003, only 11
percent of low-risk women who had a previous cesarean went on to have a
subsequent vaginal delivery.
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This page last reviewed October 15, 2008
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