VOA标准英语2010-Caesarean Deliveries at All-Time High in

Vidushi Sinha | Washington 31 March 2010

 
Dr. Mutahar Fauzia (L) uses an ultrasound machine to check on the development of Laiqa Ahmed's unborn child

Newly released data by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show an alarming increase in caesarean deliveries in the United States. And a recent global survey by the World Health Organization found that more than one in four women in Asia delivered by cesarean section. Human rights organizations say C-sections are being performed too often, exposing women and babies to the risks of major surgery.

Laiqa Ahmed recently moved to the US from Britain.  She is pregnant with her second child and is hoping to have a vaginal delivery but she worries about it. Some of her friends have complained that American doctors are too quick to choose surgery.

 

"I had my daughter in England, and there they disagree with C-sections unless there is no other option left and you are in a life threatening situation," she explained. 

Ahmed's fears are not unwarranted. In 2007, one in three babies born in the U.S. were delivered by C-section. That's more than in most industrialized countries.

In the developing world, the number of C-sections has also spiked¹. The World Health Organization reports that in Asia one in four babies is born by caesarean. 

The WHO estimates that only 15 percent of deliveries require a C-section.  But some doctors in the US say they have to be extra careful.  

"In this litigational society, you don't want to have a bad ending," noted² Dr. Mutahar Fauzia who practices obstetrics in Virginia.

She says doctors should stop performing C-sections for non-medical reasons because the risk to the mother, with each each caesarean, increases.

The uterus could rupture³ and cause fatal hemorrhaging.

Repeated C-sections can also cause abnormalities in the placenta, which feeds the fetus⁴ during pregnancy⁵. 

Dr. Fauzia says last year 86 percent of her patients delivered vaginally. She says some medical practices increase the likelihood of having to resort to surgery.

"If you rupture the membranes⁶ you end up doing C-sections most of the time. So what I did, I started doing less pelvic exams because if the membranes are intact, the head rotates.  But it takes a long time. I have at times waited eight hours - you cannot even believe - eight hours after full dilatation and [my patient] ended up having a normal delivery," added Dr. Fauzia.

In the US, there's another reason why so many women have their babies by caesarean section.

Many delay childbearing until their thirties or forties when it is more difficult to deliver vaginally.

But the biggest increase in demand for C-sections is coming from women in their 20s.

Dr. Fauzia says she tries to stay calm when her patients are in pain and are urging her to do a C-section.

Vishnu Priya delivered her first child vaginally. She says it was possible only because her doctor did not get impatient.

"She waited so long, and she kept saying push the baby, push the baby, and finally I had my baby and it was normal [delivery]," she said.

Amnestly International has called the increase in caesarean sections a maternal⁷ health care crisis. The organization says President Obama should act now. 

"We are urging President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius, head of (the) Health and Human Services Department to open an office of maternal health that would produce evidence-based guidelines so that we don't have C-section rates which are twice of what the World Health Organization recommends or mandates," said Sameer Dossani of Amnesty International.

A panel convened⁸ by the U.S. National Institutes of Health said the number of initial C-sections should be reduced, but it did not issue specific guidelines.
 

1 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 rupture   

n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂

参考例句：

• I can rupture a rule for a friend.我可以为朋友破一次例。
• The rupture of a blood vessel usually cause the mark of a bruise.血管的突然破裂往往会造成外伤的痕迹。

4 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

7 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

8 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。