Why are women not informed about the dangers of childbirth?

[Wilfire]

Obstetricians in the UK are meeting this month to discuss whether they should be formally offering women advice on the risks of vaginal births - just like they do with caesarian sections.

Right now, women legally need to be warned about the risks associated with C-sections - such as the increased healing time - but not vaginal births, despite the fact that they come with their own unique complications.

In other words, while many obstetricians present their patients with the facts about both options, they’re not formally required to do so in the UK - that's a similar situation to countries such as the US and Australia.

The meeting comes after the UK Supreme Court last year awarded almost $9 million in damages to a woman whose baby had sustained brain damage during vaginal birth - a result of the baby being starved of oxygen for too long.

In this case, her doctor knew she was more likely to have complications due to having a small pelvis and diabetes, but never told her about any of these increased risks.

Now the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will discuss whether they should change their procedure and guidelines in order to be more open about the risks of a natural birth.

Right now in the US, UK, and Australia, women technically can request a planned C-section without a medical reason, but they have to sign a waiver saying they've been warned about the dangers first, and the final decision is heavily influenced by their doctors' advice.

That means that many women are recommended to have a natural birth because, for now at least, the standard policy is to give it a try unless there's a good reason not to.

But the evidence is mounting that, as first-time mothers get older, having a pre-planned, elective caesarian might in fact be the safest option.

At any age, vaginal births come with a risk of the woman's pelvic floor muscles tearing, as well as complications causing the baby to go into trauma, or forcing the mother to undergo an emergency C-section.

But with the average age of first-time mothers now hovering around 30 in many developed nations, those risks get even higher.

A 2014 study led by Hans Peter Dietz from the Sydney Medical School in Australia showed that, for every year later a woman has her first child, her risk of the pelvic floor muscles tearing increases by 6 percent.

And the chance of the muscles detaching from the pubic bone altogether - something that greatly raises the risk of prolapse later in life - increases from 10 percent at the age of 20, to 20 percent by the age of 40. "They have the right to know that," Dietz told New Scientist.

"Age is a factor because our muscles and ligaments get less stretchy as we grow older," Wilson reports. "This makes them more likely to tear during childbirth, and increases the likelihood of needing an emergency C-section, which carries a higher risk of infection, haemorrhage, and blood clots than planned C-sections."

That's not to say planned C-sections are risk free - the surgery carries the danger of infection, blood loss, and can lead to complications with future pregnancies.

But those risks should officially need to be presented alongside the rest of the facts, says Bryan Beattie, an obstetrician with the UK's National Health Service.

"They have got leaflets about C-sections, yet most people opt for a vaginal birth and there are no risk leaflets for them," he told New Scientist.

Not everyone agrees, though, with many worried that more women will choose to have caesarians unnecessarily if the risks of natural birth are emphasised to strongly.

“A vaginal birth is not a treatment, it’s a natural consequence of being pregnant," said Deborah Chippington Derrick of the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services.

"We need a healthy debate on what the emphasis should be," added Louise Silverton of the Royal College of Midwives.

But according to Beattie, the choice should come down to the women.

"You might say to me: 'I could cope with a wound infection if I had a C-section but I could not cope with faecal incontinence from a bad vaginal delivery'," he told New Scientist. "You should be allowed to make that choice but you can’t if you don’t have the information."

We'll be following the decision made by obstetricians in the UK this month closely, and, hopefully, so will the rest of the world.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scienti...-of-childbirth

Not to mention the damage that having a child can do to your looks and personal finances.

[Deleted]

i think there is a difference between not informing about standard minor risks, and not informing about complications like a small pelvis like the article mentions.

you should absolutely be told that a small pelvis and diabetes is risky business.
you probably shouldn't have to be legally told there is a 1% chance this or that can happen during birth.

[noidentity]

Not to mention the damage that having a child can do to your looks and personal finances.

Because that's not the doctors job.

As for the story itself I agree women should be informed of any and all risks that could occur from pregnancy to child birth but it should also be up to women to ask as many questions as possible during their normal checkup appointments.

Every women is different, sometimes vaginal birth is not physically possible.

[Deleted]

To be honest, if Western people in year 2017 aren't aware of what pregnancy and childbirth involve, they can only blame their own ignorance.

[Katchii]

Because that's not the doctors job.

As for the story itself I agree women should be informed of any and all risks that could occur from pregnancy to child birth but it should also be up to women to ask as many questions as possible during their normal checkup appointments.

Every women is different, sometimes vaginal birth is not physically possible.

I'm a huge advocate for helping you help yourself. The information for both C-Section and vaginal birth is out there and available for anyone and everyone to read if they actually care enough about it. A C-Section is a medical procedure that has to be performed by a doctor and therefore falls under a different umbrella which requires a doctor to advise you of all the risks going through the procedure has before you agree to go through with it.

Don't rely on someone else to simply hand you information/help/whatever go out and get it yourself. Meaning, don't just expect anyone/ everyone else to help you if you won't take the first step in helping yourself. You're life and well being is your job so make sure YOU do what you need to do to live happy and healthy.

[Allybeboba]

Might as well say "why aren't people informed that sitting around doing nothing all day isn't healthy".

[Heladys]

They used to have a thing called sex education, before religious whackjobs fought against it.

[D3thray]

To be honest, if Western people in year 2017 aren't aware of what pregnancy and childbirth involve, they can only blame their own ignorance.

I kinda have to agree with this one. This story reads to me 'childbirth has dangers'. Duh of course it does.

[Deleted]

Who can I complain to about the dangers of life? I recently heard that I run the risk of dying!

[turboether]

Who can I complain to about the dangers of life? I recently heard that I run the risk of dying!

The doctors have a duty of care to warn newly born babies of the danger of living, I can't believe they are so irresponsible.

[Mistame]

Oh, look. Another Willfire post.

Who can I complain to about the dangers of life? I recently heard that I run the risk of dying!

This pretty much sums it up.

[SidFwuff]

The answer is simple. C-sections are far more costly

They're also considered a pre-existing condition for insurance purposes aren't they?

[Elba]

To be honest, if Western people in year 2017 aren't aware of what pregnancy and childbirth involve, they can only blame their own ignorance.

Eh, tell that to the US education system...

[Deleted]

Every women is different, sometimes vaginal birth is not physically possible.

lol? why would it not be??

[Nerdgasm]

lol? why would it not be??

Uterine anomalies, labour dystocia, risk factors and so on.

[Crissi]

lol? why would it not be??

Having thin hips may not make it possible for the baby to pass since the pelvus may not adjust wide enough. Babies that dont go head first (aka breech babies) are also more dangerous and risk killing both them and the mother since female hips aren't meant to handle babies going butt first.

[Deleted]

Having thin hips may not make it possible for the baby to pass since the pelvus may not adjust wide enough. Babies that dont go head first (aka breech babies) are also more dangerous and risk killing both them and the mother since female hips aren't meant to handle babies going butt first.

omg, the baby can get stuck inside??

[minteK917]

Sex ed is a thing here, also all of this is common knowledge. Since our primary function remains to proceate, youll be hard pressed to find women not willing to take those small risk, it used to be far worse before.

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omg, the baby can get stuck inside??

... i hope this is sarcasm lol. Why do you think they call it complications?

[Crissi]

omg, the baby can get stuck inside??

Yes. This is fairly basic stuff. Do you not have sex ed or even pregnancy ed classes?

[Alvito]

Anybody male or female that is going to have a kid and doesn't do their due diligence is a fool. Hopefully the people in this thread that think that risks being about of bring a child into the world is news educate themselves and are children. If you are an adult and didn't know these things, it is time to reevaluate things.