Caesarean section rate is very high in Germany

Christine Albert studied German linguistics and literature as well as Scandinavian studies at the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg. She is currently doing a traineeship at Hubert Burda Media and is writing, among other things, for

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According to the first guideline of medical societies, the German caesarean section rate is around 30 percent, much higher than advisable.

The German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics announced on Friday in Berlin that it is considered certain that a cesarean section rate of over 15 percent has no favorable influence on the frequency of illnesses and death rates in mothers and newborns. Caesarean sections should therefore be medically well founded. In this article you will learn how a caesarean section works and what risks it entails.

Make the best decision using the guideline

The guideline does not specify a limit value because research has so far lacked reliable information about an optimal Caesarean rate. But she wants to summarize the current state of knowledge for a uniform orientation - for medical professionals and parents-to-be.

It is a matter of making the best decision on this basis, said guideline coordinator Frank Louwen. This also applies to the advice, the safest time for birth, the optimal implementation and the earliest possible direct skin contact between mother and child. The guideline also deals with the most common reasons for a planned caesarean section and possible alternatives.

Differences in federal states

According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the rate of Caesarean sections in Germany has doubled since the early 1990s. How the delivery takes place also depends on where you live: the rates vary considerably between the federal states.According to an analysis by the Science Media Center, significantly fewer children are born by caesarean section in eastern Germany than in the west. The lowest rate recently had Saxony with 24 percent, the highest in Saarland with 40 percent.

A check by the center on the basis of quality reports from the hospitals for 2018 showed that at the federal level, well over one in ten of the total of 686 maternity clinics is well above the tolerance range for cesarean rates. The quotas fluctuated considerably - between 10.4 and 66.7 percent. (approx / dpa)

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