Number of Caesareans has trebled in 30 years

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 22:23

THE number of babies born by Caesarean section in Scotland has trebled in just over 30 years.

The latest statistics show that just over one in ten women giving birth had a planned Caesarean, while doctors carried out an emergency section in 15.2 per cent of births. The figures, which cover the year to 31 March, 2008, showed 56,821 babies were born in Scotland – a rise of almost 2,000 on the previous year.

Just over a quarter (25.9 per cent) of live births were carried out by Caesarean section. In the main there were clinical reasons, such as breech birth, for carrying out the procedure, but 10.7 per cent of women opted for an elective section.

In 1976 when just 8.6 per cent of births were by Caesarean section – with 3.9 per cent by emergency Caesarean and only 4.7 per cent of women having an electiveoperation.

There was a rise in the number of babies born to older mothers, with 30 to 34 the most common age for women to have a baby. Some 15,222 babies were born to women in this group in 2008.