Primary Elective Cesarean Increases Infant Mortality 2.9 Times
March 14, 2008 – 10:02 amMarian F. MacDorman PhD, Eugene Declercq PhD, Fay Menacker DrPHCPNP, Michael H. Malloy MDMS (2006) Infant and Neonatal Mortality for Primary Cesarean and Vaginal Births to Women with "No Indicated Risk," United States, 1998-2001 Birth Cohorts
Birth 33 (3) , 175–182 doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2006.00102.x
This is a very interesting study. While it’s not the best type of study, one that has a control group and a variable group, that doesn’t entirely discount their findings.
They found: "Neonatal mortality rates were higher among infants delivered by cesarean section (1.77 per 1,000 live births) than for those delivered vaginally (0.62). The magnitude of this difference was reduced only moderately on statistical adjustment for demographic and medical factors, and when deaths due to congenital malformations and events with Apgar scores less than 4 were excluded. The cesarean/vaginal mortality differential was widespread, and not confined to a few causes of death."
