Mothers ‘are put at risk by rising number of caesareans’

DOCTORS are putting the health of women and their babies at risk by performing caesarean sections too readily, UN officials warn.

They say the procedure should only be carried out when ‘medically necessary’ because it can lead to infections and even death.

Just over a quarter of women giving birth in England now have a caesarean and the rate has more than doubled since the early 1990s. This includes a growing number of women opting to have planned caesareans because they are very anxious about giving birth naturally.

But last night experts from the World Health Organisation, the UN’s public health agency, said this figure should ideally be between just 10 per cent and 15 per cent, due to the dangers and costs involved.

In a statement, they said: ‘Although it can save lives, caesarean section is often performed without medical need, putting women and their babies at risk of short- and long-term health problems.’

They added that the procedure can lead to ‘significant complications, disability or death’ and diverts precious money away from the needs of other patients. A planned caesarean costs the NHS an average of £2,369, compared to a natural birth at £1,665.

The WHO statement sharply contradicts current NHS guidelines, which say the procedure should be offered to women even when there is no medical justification.

The watchdog NICE issued revised recommendations in 2011 allowing women to have the operation if they were very anxious about childbirth, a condition known as tokophobia.

Women are also advised to have planned caesareans if they have had a previous complicated birth, are over 40 or have a medical condition such as asthma, diabetes or depression. But the WHO said that doctors were carrying them out too often, and underestimating the risks. Previous research has found that as many as one in ten caesareans cause infections.

‘Disability or death’