Harvard Chan: This Week In Health

July 27, 2017 — Cesarean delivery of a baby—or C-section—is the world's most commonly performed surgery. Rates have been rising across the globe, but there has been a particularly notable increase in the United States. The C-section rate in the U.S. has jumped 500 percent since the mid-1970s and 1 in 3 babies are now born via C-section. C-section is incredibly common, but the surgery comes with risks for mothers, including hemorrhage and infection. In this week's episode, we'll take a look at efforts to figure out what is driving rising C-section rates, and what can be done to prevent them. Neel Shah, director of the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs, will explain why the hospital where a woman gives birth may the single most important factor in whether or not she has a C-section. You can subscribe to this podcast by visiting iTunes, listen to it by following us on Soundcloud, and stream it on the Stitcher app. Learn more Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs Hospital management practices