Childbirth and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Symptoms

More women than ever before are showing up at the hospital in labor and asking for a cesarean section. Between 1996 and 2007, the rate of cesarean section delivery rose by 53 percent, with nearly one-third of babies born that way in 2007, according to a new government report. So why has 'cesarean on demand' become so popular? Mainly because today's mom-to-be believes avoiding a vaginal birth will reduce her risk of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse down the road. Pelvic organ prolapse is a condition that occurs when a woman's bladder, rectum, or uterus shifts from its proper location, and moves into the vaginal canal. But giving birth via cesarean section is NOT NECESSARILY the prolapse protection that some women and their doctors think it is. There's even research to prove it. A new study published in the International Urogynecology Journal examined the impact of a woman's first pregnancy on pelvic support and found that less than one year after giving birth via c-section, 21% of women experienced moderate prolapse and 5% experienced severe prolapse. Since cesarean delivery did not necessarily prevent prolapse, the study's authors suggest that simply BEING PREGNANT can increase a woman's likelihood of prolapse, regardless of delivery mode! This coincides with data showing that 50% of women who have borne children will experience prolapse at some point. That's compared with just 30% of ALL women. It IS important to note that women who gave birth vaginally DID experience higher rates of severe prolapse, according to the same Urogynecology Journal study. But the numbers weren't significant enough to warrant cesarean for this reason alone. Especially since maternal mortality rates from cesarean are THREE TIMES higher than in vaginal delivery. Moreover, Birth magazine reported that babies are more than twice as likely to die when delivered by cesarean. Knowing this, it makes sense NOT to opt for c-section delivery unless there is a legitimate medical reason for a woman to do so! Once the uterus heals from cesarean, all future pregnancies are at risk for uterine scar separation that can be deadly for the baby, and for problems with placenta previa, where the placenta is low and can hemorrhage at any time, further risking the life of the baby. These are two good reasons to take cesarean section very seriously.