Caesareans raise risk

EMERGENCY caesarean sections performed when a woman is fully dilated during labour may raise the risk of premature births in later pregnancies.

A study in the Australian And New Zealand Journal Of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of hundreds of Australian women who had two consecutive births between 1989 and 2015 found caesareans at full dilation were associated with a twofold risk of a subsequent spontaneous preterm birth.

Researchers say it shows that since premature births pose a risk to newborn babies, mums who have caesareans at full dilation – when the cervix has dilated to 10cm – should be closely monitored.