Urgent action needed to improve maternal care in Latin America.(Brief Article)

2002 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unnecessary cesarean section is known to increase health risks for both mother and infant, while routine episiotomy has no benefit. Two studies in the British Medical Journal illustrate the gap between evidence and practice in maternal care.

The first study showed that many poor women in Brazil actively seek a cesarean section because of fear of substandard labor care, including lack of pain control.

Rich women were more likely to have cesarean sections, and a vaginal birth was considered a risky and negative experience. Many lower to middle class women sought cesarean sections to avoid what they considered poorer quality labor care.

The unequal distribution of medical technology has altered concepts of good and normal birthing, said the authors. Arguments supporting interventionist birthing "for all" on the basis of equal access to health care must be reviewed, they concluded.

The second study found that 9 in every 10 women who gave birth spontaneously in hospitals in Latin America between ...