Pregnancy Related Deaths in California Triple

According to a new report, deaths directly related to pregnancy and childbirth have tripled in the last decade in California. Doctors warn that obesity and complications from cesarean sections are to blame.

This report was held by the Department of Public Health for the last seven months before finally releasing it's findings. Investigators who wrote the report say this is the most significant rise in pregnancy related deaths since 1930. The death rate in California for pregnancy and childbirth related issues is now actually higher than it is in Kuwait or Bosnia, a fact that has many people concerned.

This rise is also not just limited to California. Complications stemming from obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and c-sections have caused a spike in deaths across the nation. The United States is already known for having the second worst neonatal death rate in the modern world. Despite the increasing death rates, experts feel that pregnancy is still safe for most women and infants.

Scientists looked at many factors in the increasing death rates, including increasing numbers of older and obese women. The researchers say these factors were not enough to account for the large increase in deaths. Dr. Elliott Main, the lead investigator in the study, feels there is a connection between the increase in cesarean sections performed and the death rate in women.

Currently, one in three infants are born by c-section. This number is considered too high by many health care groups, especially as it brings an increase in complications and death. Risks such as hemorrhaging and scaring of uterine tissue are possible with c-sections. These can lead to later complications as well.

Catherine Camacho, director for California's Center for Family Health, says, "for every maternal death, there are 10 near misses; for every near miss, there are 10 severe morbidity cases (such as hysterectomy, hemorrhage, or infection), and for every severe morbidity case, there is another 10 morbidity cases related to childbirth."

Some people are calling for a return to more natural birthing techniques as a way to reduce the death rates. Common medical interventions, such as constant monitoring and epidurals, can lead to an increased chance of having a cesarean section. The World Health Organization says that no more than 15 percent of births should be by cesarean section, much lower than the U.S. rate of 33 percent.