In spite of how highly medical birth has become, and how sharply the rates of maternal and infant death dropped as medical competency progressed, its alarming to find that the rate of maternal death in the US has doubled since 1987, placing the US near the bottom of developed countries. According to the most recent information available from the CDC, between 1960 and 2005 the United States fell in rank from 12th to 30th among developed nations with regards to infant mortality rates. The rate did not decline at all between 2000 and 2005. The US is supposed to have a goal of 4.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate is 6.71 -- 50% higher than the goal. In 2012 the C-section rate in the US was 33% of all births, up from 21% in 1996. Anything above 15% is considered to be an overuse of the procedure. And thats just for singleton births, that does not include the rate of C-sections performed for twin pregnancies. All Im saying is that its good for women to be informed. Especially considering (and I speak from experience) that most OB/GYNs are rushed, dismissive, and have very on to the next attitudes. Women need to both advocate for themselves when they know something is wrong, even if theyre dismissed again and again, and they need to advocate for themselves against unnecessary procedures and interventions. Theres no reason to entirely buck medical care, but theres increasing evidence that there is very good reason to question, question, question.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 20:49:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015