Caesarean puts next pregnancy at risk

Having a caesarean delivery may increase the risk of a stillbirth in a second pregnancy, researchers said today.

Having a caesarean delivery may increase the risk of a stillbirth in a second pregnancy, researchers said today. Stillbirths were more common among women who had previously had a child by caesarean surgery, said doctors at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge, England, who investigated 120,00 births in Scotland between 1992 and 1998.”Delivery by caesarean section in the first pregnancy could increase the risk of unexplained stillbirth in the second,” Professor Gordon Smith, who headed the research team, said in a report in The Lancet medical journal.”Our best estimate is that for every 1000 women with a previous caesarean section there will be one additional stillbirth in comparison if they hadn’t had a previous caesarean section,” he added.The study also suggests that the absolute risk of unexplained stillbirth at or after 39 weeks’ gestation, in women who had had a caesarean for their first child, was about twice that in women who had had a previous vaginal delivery. Doctors are not sure why the surgery increases the risk of stillbirth but they suspect repairing the uterus after the surgery could affect the function of the placenta, which nourishes the foetus, in a future pregnancy. Scarred tissue also works less well than unscarred tissue. “This is a factor that women should take into account when deciding to have a caesarean section,” Smith said. “Our results are of relevance for women considering caesarean delivery who are planning future pregnancies.” (Source ABC Online Health News, Reuters, Caesarean Risks: The Lancet November 2003)