More and more caesarean sections in the Esslingen district: What's behind it?

More and more caesarean sections in the Esslingen district: What's behind it?

In the Esslingen district, doctors are recording an increasing trend in caesarean sections. This increase corresponds to a Germany-wide phenomenon that is influenced by various social and health factors. According to one affected woman who works as a midwife, the cesarean section poses a variety of emotional challenges for her. She reports thoughts of failure and doubts about her body's ability to give birth naturally after she had to convert a planned home birth to a hospital due to signs of infection after her membranes ruptured NTZ reported.

The decision to have a cesarean section is increasingly being considered by many women. In 2023, the cesarean section rate in Germany was 32.6%, doubling compared to 1991, when it was 15.3%. This represents the highest level since 2011, when the rate was 32.2%. In recent years, medical recommendations and legal pressure due to possible claims for compensation against obstetricians have also increased, leading to a higher number of planned cesarean sections, according to this RND.

Regional differences and possible disadvantages

The cesarean section rate varies greatly from region to region. The highest rates in 2023 will be from Saarland with 36.4% and Hamburg with 36.2%. In other federal states, such as Saxony (25.6%) and Brandenburg (29.3%), the numbers are significantly lower. It should be noted that a cesarean section is not without risks. Possible disadvantages include difficulty in starting breastfeeding, an increased risk of respiratory diseases and psychological complications, including a feeling of failure in mothers, such as RND explained.

Statistically speaking, around 30.9% of German women gave birth by caesarean section in 2021, which corresponds to around 237,000 deliveries. Over the last three decades, the cesarean section rate has doubled. This development is also facilitated by the growing number of older mothers and increasing rates of obesity and other risky health characteristics. The average age of women at the birth of their first child is now almost 32 years, with more than 40% of pregnant women considered overweight or obese, as data from the Federal Statistical Office show ( Destatis ).

Factors for the increasing cesarean section rate

The increasing number of cesarean sections is influenced by various factors, including the staffing of obstetric departments and the size of hospitals. Comprehensive one-to-one care from midwives has been proven to have positive effects on birth methods and can reduce caesarean sections. Medical staff are often pressured to actively identify risks during pregnancy, which also leads to an increase in planned cesarean sections. These are often chosen to prevent complications in high-risk births, but there is no optimal cesarean section rate that can serve as a benchmark.

Although 10% of cesarean sections are considered medically necessary - for example if the child is in a transverse position or other complications - around 90% of the procedures take place for relative indications such as previously performed cesarean sections or a lack of progress in the birth. This raises questions about the necessity and motivations behind the high rate of cesarean sections and puts the health of mothers and newborns at the forefront.