Using a pregnancy decision support program for women choosing birth after a previous caesarean in Japan: A mixed methods study

A trend towards higher Cesarean Section (CS) rates has been seen in developed and developing countries since the 1970s.1,2  A similar trend has been observed in Japan since the 1980s, where the CS rate has increased nearly threefold in the past 30 years, rising from 7.3% in 1984 to 19.7% in 2014.3 Factors potentially influencing this trend include an increased number of primary CS associated with a rising childrearing age, routine use of CS for breech presentation, an increased number of emergency CS associated with diagnosis of fetal distress detected by continuous electronic monitoring, an increasing number of multiple births related to assisted reproductive technology, and concerns about medical malpractice l itigation.
Source: Women and Birth - Category: Midwifery Authors: Source Type: research