A new record was established in 2008 for Caesarean section births of nearly one-third of the total births in the United States. This is equal to 32.3 percent of births in the U.S. and marks a consecutive increase for the last 12 years. This was according to the report of T.J. Matthews of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last Monday via the online issue of “Pediatrics.”

Based on the statistics for 50 states provided by the CDC, there was a fall of one percent in birth rates among women aged 15 to 39 years old. This was the first decrease since 1978. It also marked an increase of four percent among women aged 40 and above from 2007 to 2008, the highest increase in 40 years.

According to the note of CDC, there was a gradual increase on birth rate in recent years.The remarkable C-section birth rate increase from 2007-2008 was noted on all age brackets, ethnic groups and races. However, CDC did not see an increase in multiple birth rates after a rapid growth in 1980s. Twin and triplet birth rates did not increase from 2006 to 2007.The Canadian Institute for Health Information presented their annual report on hospitals last week. They pointed to the wide regional variations in the birth rates of C-section. The rates range from 14 percent up to 23 percent in Newfound and Labrador.

There are many factors that affect the rate of C-section births specifically in Canada. This includes the availability of specialists, risk tolerance, access to care and the possibility of multiple births. The details were given by Dr. Vyta Senikas, the associate executive vice-president of the society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. According to CIHI’s report, Caesarean section deliveries are actually twice as costly in obstetric care for mothers and babies as compared with vaginal births.